Cover-up

When a scandal breaks, the discovery of an attempt to cover up the evidence of wrongdoing is often regarded as even more scandalous than the original deeds.

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Typically, a cover-up draws an entire organization, or sometimes only its leadership, into complicity in covering up a crime that may have originally been committed by a few of its members.

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This is often regarded as tacit approval of that behaviour.

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Examples include:

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• The Dreyfus Affair
• The Watergate scandal
• The recent Catholic priests' sex abuse scandal
• The My Lai Massacre
 
Cover-up: See also ►