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'I did Not Have...'

the interaction between politics and media regarding sex scandals

Rechten: Alle rechten voorbehouden

'I did Not Have...'

the interaction between politics and media regarding sex scandals

Rechten: Alle rechten voorbehouden

Samenvatting

On 26 January 1998, during a press conference in the White House, President Bill Clinton famously told the nation, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" (Clinton, 1998). Now, 15 years later, almost everyone can still recall those famous words. In this dissertation, the interaction between politics and media regarding sex scandals in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States is examined. A political sex scandal involves the public disclosure of activities of politicians that go beyond the generally accepted norms or codes governing the behaviour of sexual relations (Thompson, 2000). The main hypothesis in this dissertation is how sex scandals are exposed per country, illustrates the interaction between politics and media. The examined cases require several conditions. Firstly, all scandals used concern a sexual scandal, that in one way or another transgress the boundaries of sexual conduct. Secondly, the persons concerned in the sex scandals are politicians; whether it is local, regional or national.
Another important condition is that the media attention had to be national. Lastly, all sex scandals take place in the time period, from 1990 through 2013. In the second chapter the focus lies on the characteristics of and main developments in the political landscape in each of the countries. An important observation is that in each of the countries there is a growing emphasis on the personal lives of politicians instead of political content, but the personalisation of politics has not evolved to the same point in each of the countries. The third chapter describes the characteristics of and main developments in the media landscape in each of the countries. An important finding is that media logic is a driving mechanism on reporting about politics and politicians. The result of this is that news has a growing emphasis on the politicians themselves. The focus of the fourth chapter lies more specifically on the relationship between politics and media in each of the countries. An important conclusion is that media and politics need and use each other; they both gain from each other's presence and they both have instruments with which they try to influence each other. The fifth chapter centres on the interaction between politics and media regarding sex scandals, while using different phases through which scandals are
exposed. With this approach, it is explained why in each of the countries a different phase gets more attention from politics and media. This can be caused by the specific development of the political and media landscape in each country, because the focus on one phase or the other is a specific illustration of the interaction between politics and media in that country.
It seems that in the Netherlands only the phase of the culmination is important. The cases of De Vries and Oudkerk show that the newspapers and television programmes were interested from the moment the news of the scandal was confirmed and their interest diminished as soon as the two politicians were open about their affairs. This is mainly due to the existence of quality press in the Netherlands, when compared to the United Kingdom and the United States. It can also be explained by the informal contacts between politicians and journalists in the Netherlands, which are a lot closer than in the other two countries. Another important factor is the political culture in the Netherlands, in which the politician himself is less important. This can be explained by the differences in the electoral systems.
In the United Kingdom the media seems focused mainly on the phase of the scandal proper. This might be explained by the important role the popular press has in the United Kingdom, as well as the celebrity culture. The emphasis on the gossip and rumours surrounding the personal lives of politicians is a result of the existing rigid class system in the United Kingdom. People like to read about the successes, failures and downfall of public figures. The coverage of the phase of the scandal proper is quite extensive in the United Kingdom as the case studies show. This is not surprising, because gossip sells and the ratings have become more important. A second important factor is the electoral system; politicians want to be visible for the people in their constituency.
It seems that in the United States, as in the United Kingdom, the trustworthiness of the individual politicians is also the most important factor. This might be due to the similarities in their political system, but there are some important differences. For example, the popular press is not as important in the United States. This can be explained by the greater belief in the possibility of
social mobility in the United States: the American Dream. This belief is cultivated by stories about self-made people in infotainment programmes. The focus in these programmes lies more on the rise of these people than on their fall. It seems that in the media, but also in the political domain, the main focus is on the phase of the culmination. Therefore, it is discussed in what way the
politician can be held accountable for his or her actions and what consequences there will be. It is not likely that the emphasis on and importance of sex scandals in the interaction between politics and media will diminish in the coming years. Sex scandals will probably grow in importance, because in favour of ratings the media will look for new scandals: sex sells. There is also a chance that the interaction between politics and media regarding sex scandals will become similar in the three countries. The growing internationalisation will play an important role, as will
the growing emphasis on the personal lives of politicians in all of the three countries. In the next few years, the dawn of social media will also play a key role in the way sex scandals are exposed.
Social media can change the way politics and media interact with each other, like one of the cases will show, but the broader implications are still unclear.

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OrganisatieDe Haagse Hogeschool
OpleidingESC Europese Studies / European Studies
AfdelingAcademie voor European Studies & Communication
Jaar2013
TypeBachelor
TaalEngels

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