The co-construction of political scandal in hybrid media: A Swedish case study

This article addresses the lack of critical empirical research into the power relations of those involved as hybrid media events unfold. Specifically, I address a gap in the research on how political scandals are (co-)constructed by different contributors in the hybrid media environment. By recreating the sequence of events over the course of eleven days, I map and analyse the hybrid media scandal that triggered a Swedish Liberal Party leader’s sudden resignation following statements made in a party YouTube video. The analysis adds insights into temporal complexities of contemporary scandal in hybrid media and displays the power of opinion leaders and the continued significance of legacy media in ensuring tangible political consequences for scandal narratives. The analysis further illustrates the importance of going beyond news end-products when attempting to gain a comprehensive understanding of how and why scandals unfold and highlights the relevance of social, cultural, and political contexts to grasp hybrid media scandals.