ABSTRACT
The idea of the news media’s reporting religious scandal carries more than a hint of irony. Scandal sells the news, attracting viewers and follow-up stories, but runs counter to a religious response to it. In popular usage, “scandal” typically refers to some, probably moral, wrong that causes a strong public reaction. In the words of Ingebretsen (2004, 30), “Scandal is, above all, a machinery of outrage.” And so, even attaching the term “scandal” to some behavior will most likely attract added attention and prompt the very reaction predicted by the reporting. And, since religion by definition upholds the moral order, it provides—depending on one’s perspective—either a tragic or a rich target for accusations of scandal.
