Articles
Het Lewinsky-schandaal. Van pekelzonde tot impeachment
Author:
Doeko Bosscher
About Doeko
Doeko Bosscher (1949) is in 1980 gepromoveerd op een proefschrift over de nagedachtenis van Colijn in zijn eigen politieke kring, Om de erfenis van Colijn. De arp op de grens van twee werelden (Alphen aan den Rijn 1980). Hij was Fulbright ‘scholar in residence’ aan Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA), 1983- 1984 en bracht later nog een semester als docent door aan dezelfde universiteit. Sinds 1991 is hij hoogleraar
Eigentijdse Geschiedenis aan de rug. Hij was rector magnificus van de rug van 1998 tot 2002. Zijn wetenschappelijke specialisaties zijn Amerikaanse geschiedenis en Nederlandse geschiedenis na 1945. Zijn bijdrage aan de Geschiedenis van Amsterdam, deel 4 (Amsterdam 2007), is zijn meest recente grotere publicatie.
Abstract
This article discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal which concerned a love affair between the President of the United States and a 21 year old trainee Monica Lewinsky. The affair started in the summer of 1995 and became public knowledge in January 1998. At first it seemed that a real 'Lewinsky gate' was in the
making but as it turned out - surprisingly for many - the public was not willing to participate in the kind of character assassination some of Clinton's mostly Republican political adversaries had in mind. 'Independent counsel' Kenneth Starr was seen to be less independent than he should have been and much more politically prejudiced. Although Clinton clearly lied under oath about the nature of his relationship with Lewinsky public opinion remained solidly opposed to impeachment. The author concludes that this scandal does not confirm James Lull and Stephen Hinerman's thesis that 'managers of modern news media actively try to turn stories into scandals.' If the media had lived up to the thesis Clinton certainly would have lost the presidency.
How to Cite:
Bosscher, Doeko. 2007. “Het Lewinsky-schandaal. Van Pekelzonde Tot Impeachment”. TMG Journal for Media History 10 (2): 90–110. DOI: http://doi.org/10.18146/tmg.557
Published on
01 Dec 2007.
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