The dilemma for journalists this week: How should you cover a series of proto-scandals with seemingly little in common? …
Many are covering the new “narrative” of Obama’s administration, which is reflective of the way that political and media elites coordinate on interpretations of events as scandalous. As I argue in my academic research, media scandals are a “co-production” of the opposition party and the press. When both groups portray an event like the IRS allegations as a scandal, it often generates strong perceptions of wrongdoing among elites—in other words, a narrative of misconduct. [cont.]
Brendan Nyhan (Dartmouth), Columbia Journalism Review