RHETORICAL AND STYLISTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS OF POLITICAL SCANDALS

Abstract

This article examines the rhetorical-stylistic features of media representations of political scandals in contemporary public discourse. A scandal is interpreted as the result of a discursive construction shaped by media framing, rather than as a purely factual violation. The study pays particular attention to lexical choice, evaluative language and narrative structures as key mechanisms that shape the interpretation of political events in public discourse. The study employs critical discourse analysis as its methodological framework. CDA is understood as an approach that examines linguistic structures in relation to power relations and ideological processes. This perspective makes it possible to analyse how meanings are constructed in media discourse and to identify key linguistic and rhetorical patterns in the representation of political scandals.

The findings indicate that media coverage does not merely reflect events but actively shapes their interpretation through framing mechanisms and stylistic choices. The analysis demonstrates that evaluative vocabulary, emotional language, and narrative structuring contribute to the construction of scandal as a meaningful public phenomenon. It is shown that different media narratives may emphasise either legal responsibility or political motivation, thereby producing competing interpretations of the same event. The findings also suggest that shifts in framing across different media outlets may alter the perceived severity and significance of the scandal over time. Political scandals can therefore be seen as dynamic discursive processes in which meaning is continuously negotiated in contemporary society. This, in turn, raises the need for further research into the linguistic mechanisms of media framing in digital communication, particularly in relation to the role of audience interaction and the circulation of interpretations across platforms. At the same time, the analysis shows that the interaction between media discourse and audience engagement further intensifies the circulation and reinterpretation of scandal narratives in the digital environment.