In the public interest? Political sex scandals and the media in Ireland

As with the United States and Great Britain there has been a markedincrease in prevalence of political sex scandal themed stories reported on by Irish media since 1990s. This article considers concept scandal, its relationship case. It argues that was frequent part journalism pre-independence but that, post-independence, this approach replaced reticence to report such until finds that,today, avoid reporting private lives politicians instead focus incidents wherein intervene sex-related court cases, when are caught acting inappropriately camera engage matters sexual social media. Thus, unlike US Britain, key structural characteristic contemporary scandals is not intrusion into rather oversight how issues public fora as judicial system