Legal Definitions - exposé

An exposé refers to a detailed public revelation or explanation. It can describe a formal statement providing the reasons for a particular action or course of conduct, especially in diplomatic contexts. More commonly, however, an exposé refers to the act of uncovering and publicly revealing discreditable, scandalous, or previously hidden information about an individual, organization, or situation, often through investigative reporting.

• Example 1 (Diplomatic Explanation): After a sudden shift in foreign policy, the nation's ambassador released a comprehensive document to the international community, serving as an exposé of the government's strategic rationale and long-term objectives behind the decision.

  Explanation: In this context, the term refers to a formal, detailed explanation or statement of reasons, aligning with the diplomatic usage of providing an account for a specific act.

• Example 2 (Investigative Journalism): A prominent newspaper published a groundbreaking exposé detailing how a local charity was secretly diverting a significant portion of its donations to fund lavish lifestyles for its executives, rather than supporting its stated mission.

  Explanation: This illustrates the more common usage, where the newspaper's report publicly revealed discreditable and unethical conduct that the charity had attempted to keep hidden from its donors and the public.

• Example 3 (Corporate Misconduct): A former employee, acting as a whistleblower, provided internal documents that led to a television news program airing an exposé on a major manufacturing company's practice of knowingly using substandard materials in its products to cut costs, endangering consumers.

  Explanation: Here, the news program's report functions as an exposé by bringing to light serious and potentially dangerous corporate misconduct that the company had deliberately concealed from the public.