A scandal is a widely publicized incident that involves allegations of wrongdoing, disgrace, or moral outrage. A scandal may be based on reality, the product of false allegations, or a mixture of both.

From the Greek σκάνδαλον, a trap.

Some scandals are broken by whistleblowers who reveal wrongdoing within organizations or groups, most notably Deep Throat (William Mark Felt) during the 1970s Watergate scandal that involved President Richard Nixon. Falsely alleged scandals can lead to witch-hunts against the innocent. Sometimes an attempt to cover up a scandal ignites a greater scandal when the cover-up fails. Types of scandals include:

• Political scandals
• Corporate scandals
• Sex scandals
• Academic scandals
• Sporting scandals
• Olympic Games scandals
• Reorg Scandal

Western world

The United States in the 1950s was swept by a wave of game show scandals. Another major type of scandal is a corporate scandal, especially those that involve accounting. A wave of such scandals swept American companies in 2002. In the United States, scandals, particularly political ones, are often referred to by adding the suffix "-gate" to a word connected with the events, recalling the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, such as "Nannygate".

List of scandals

• Corporate scandals
• Journalistic scandals
• Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
• List of Christian evangelist scandals
• List of scandals with "-gate" suffix