Editing Cover-up (section)

==Typology==
{{Synthesis|section|date=April 2017}}
[[File:Cruikshank_-_Old_Thirty_Nine.png|thumb|''Old Thirty Nine shaking hands with his good brother the [[Pope|Pope of Italy]], or covering up versus sealing up the Bible, 1819'' by [[George Cruikshank]]. ("39 articles" refers to the [[Church of England]])]]

The following list is considered to be a typology<ref>The systematic classification of the types of something according to their common characteristics. ''See'' [[wikt:typology|Wiktionary]].</ref> since those who engage in cover-ups tend to use many of the same methods of hiding the truth and defending themselves. This list was compiled from famous cover-ups such as the [[Watergate Scandal]], the [[Iran-Contra Affair]], [[My Lai massacre]], the ''[[Pentagon Papers]]'', the cover-up of corruption in New York City under Boss Tweed ([[William M. Tweed]] and [[Tammany Hall]]) in the late 19th century,<ref>Ackerman, K. D. (2005). Boss Tweed: The rise and fall of the corrupt pol who conceived the soul of modern New York. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. {{ISBN|0-7867-1435-2}}.</ref> and the tobacco industry cover-up of the health hazards of smoking.<ref>See biography of the whistleblower [[Jeffrey Wigand]]</ref>  The methods in actual cover-ups tend to follow the general order of the list below.

; Initial response to allegation

# Flat [[denial]]
# Convince the media to bury the story
# Preemptively distribute false information
# Claim that the "problem" is [[Minimisation (psychology)|minimal]]
# [[gaslighting|Claim faulty memory]]
# Claim the accusations are [[half-truths]]
# Claim the critic has no proof
# Attack the critic's motive
# [[Ad hominem|Attack the critic's character]]

; Withhold or tamper with evidence

# Prevent the discovery of evidence
# Destroy or alter the evidence
# Make discovery of evidence difficult
# Create misleading names of individuals and companies to hide funding
# Lie or commit [[perjury]]
# Block or delay investigations
# Issue restraining orders
# Claim executive privilege

; Delayed response to allegation

# Deny a restricted definition of wrongdoing (e.g. torture)
# [[Limited hangout|Limited hang out]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44668-2002Apr24.html|title=From Rome, A 'Limited Hangout'|last=McGrory|first=Mary|date=25 April 2002|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref>(i.e., confess to minor charges)
# Use biased evidence as a defense
# Claim that the critic's evidence is biased
# Select a biased blue ribbon commission or "independent" inquiry

; [[Intimidate]] participants, [[Witness intimidation|witnesses]] or [[whistleblowers]]<ref>See also [[List of whistleblowers]].</ref>
# Bribe or buy out the critic
# Generally intimidate the critic by following him or her, killing pets, etc.
# [[Blackmail]]: hire private investigators and threaten to reveal past wrongdoing ("dirt")
# Death threats of the critic or his or her family
# Threaten the critic with loss of job or future employment in industry
# Transfer the critic to an inferior job or location
# Intimidate the critic with lawsuits or [[Strategic lawsuit against public participation|SLAPP suits]]
# Murder; assassination

; Publicity management

# [[Bribe]] the press
# [[Astroturfing|Secretly plant stories in the press]]
# Retaliate against hostile media
# Threaten the press with loss of access
# Attack the motives of the press
# Place defensive advertisements
# Buy out the news source

; Damage control

# Claim no knowledge of wrongdoing
# [[scapegoating|Scapegoats]]: [[blame]] an underling for unauthorized action
# Fire the person(s) in charge

; Win court cases

# Hire the best lawyers
# Hire scientists and expert witnesses who will support your story
# Delay with legal maneuvers
# Influence or control the judges

; Reward cover-up participants

# [[Hush money]]
# Little or no punishment
# Pardon or commute sentences
# Promote employees as a reward for cover-up
# Reemploy the employee after dust clears