10 Best Examples of a Major Cover-Up Backfiring

by Binupriya Tomy3 years ago

6 Alfred Dreyfus, an artillery captain in the French Army, was falsely convicted for passing confidential military information to the Germans. Later evidence proved he was innocent, but the generals refused to take accountability for the actions. What came to be known as the “Dreyfus Affair” became a political scandal that greatly affected French politics and jeopardized its future. 

Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus, Image credit: Wikimedia

An affair between two colonels later led to the realization that Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted. It started with an open letter named the “bordereau,” which was found torn up in the trash of the German Embassy in Paris. An intelligence officer was working as a maid to watch for spies in the embassy. 

The letter had confidential military secrets in detail and was addressed to a German military attaché in the embassy. The minister at the time was pressured to find the culprit. By narrowing down the research, they ended up suspecting a trainee artillery officer. Without much thought, Dreyfus was labeled the culprit even though there wasn’t much evidence. 

Georges Picquart, the new head of intelligence, discovered that Dreyfus was innocent, But he was discouraged from presenting any evidence and was transferred to North America. In 1906, Dreyfus’ innocence was finally established, but his French public life was in ruins by this time.

It is a colossal event that shaped French politics in the 20th century. The collaboration of the French right-wing with Nazi Germany was revenge on the government that they couldn’t overthrow, and many such events were directly related to the Dreyfus Affair. (Source)

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7 Dr. Griogory Rodchenkov in 2016 blew the whistle on Russia’s doping program. Since then, the debate has intensified on the corruption in sports in Russia. The Kremlin had been controversially escaping detection by manipulating lab data. But after a long-running saga of investigations that started in 2008, Russia was finally banned from international sporting events for a time period of four years. 

Dr. Griogory Rodchenkov- Major Cover-Up Backfiring
Dr. Griogory Rodchenkov. Image credit: bbc

Due to these widespread allegations against Russia, the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia from participating in any major sporting events, including the Olympics, for four years. Russian athletes would not be allowed to compete under their national flag under this ban. 

Things took a twist when a long-running investigation that had been ongoing since 2008 ended in 2019 proved that there is a state-sponsored doping program that was supported by the Kremlin. The cover-up did not work well as Russian officials were also banned from attending the games. (Source)

8 The residents of Flint, Michigan faced a water issue because of the negligence of authorities who were trying to switch from the water supply the state has been using for the past 50 years. Residents were assured that the supplied water was of good quality. But the water was unclean and took a serious toll on the physical and mental health of residents. Over 15 people were charged with various crimes over this crisis. 

UAW local 898
UAW local 898. Image credit: Barbara Kalbfleisch/Shutterstock

The authorities kept reassuring people that the water was of good quality even after repeated complaints that the water was not consumable. It was the color of coffee and smelled foul. The state issued several advisories on using boiled water and did nothing about sorting out the issue. 

 The water supply in Flint in the past played a vital role in turning General Motors into a global giant. The region boasted one of the strongest middle-class communities in the state. In 2014, the authorities decided on the switch as Flint was recovering from a population decline and the Great Recession. 

The people of the city of Flint were unhealthy due to the unhealthy water that they consumed, which was supplied because of simple negligence or a disastrous choice to break environmental law. Despite the cover-up, it put a staggering number of citizens at peril for 18 months. (Source)

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9 The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment focused on studying 600 people who contracted Syphilis in Alabama. Peter Buxton, a venereal disease investigator, reported that the research subjects were not undergoing proper treatment. But the authorities decided not to treat them, instead wait until the subjects died to test their autopsy results. The experiment was shut down after these findings came out. 

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Image credit: National Archives Atlanta, GA/National Archives via wikimedia

Peter Buxton reported that the researchers were not providing effective care for the Tuskegee study subjects. The researchers convinced the local physician at the county not to treat them, and instead, research was conducted.

After he expressed concerns to his superiors, they still opted to continue and analyze details of the autopsies from these untreated subjects. He decided to hand over the report to the press which led to the shutdown of the project. 

A class-action suit was filed on the behalf of the subjects in 1973 which led to a $10 million settlement. But by the time, 28 participants had died of the disease, 100 more due to related complications, and spouses of 40 of the participants were also diagnosed along with 19 children who contracted it at birth. (Source)

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10 The Fleet Street Phone-Hacking scandal started with the allegations that journalists working for News International were involved in hacking into individuals’ phones for news. The company was paying several private investigators illegally for hacking and police bribery. The trial finally led to the shutdown of a newspaper that millions bought every week and a trial that cost 100 million euros. 

Phone hacking- Major Cover-Up Backfiring
Image is used for representational purposes only. Image credit: Shutterstock

In 1995, News International published a story of Prince William’s treatments, which led to a finding that the journalists might have accessed his voice mails. The investigation that followed found a list of 4,000 celebrities, politicians, and crime victims’ phones being hacked. This included eight members of the Royal Family and their staff.

By 2010, News International had to pay more than two million euros in settling the court cases and complaints of invasion of privacy of individuals. The ensuing investigation revealed many other victims, and the newspaper was eventually shut down. 

The Guardian published several other reports on hacking which made Scotland Yard reopen and look into the case again. The owner of News International failed to cover up and admitted that the hacking dates back years. There was suppressed evidence that seriously questioned the competency of the metropolitan police. Many were charged by The Crown Prosecution Service for conspiracy to intercept mobiles. (Source)

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