Time for Abate Gate

UPDATE July 18. Proof this battle has been lost.
From Jabal al-Lughat
Friday, June 09, 2006
"-gate" suffix reaches Arabic
Algerian football fans (that is to say, probably most of the population) are up in arms about not being able to watch the World Cup unless they subscribe to ART - a Saudi company which bought up the rights to World Cup footage for the MENA region and is selling it so expensively most terrestrial stations (including Algeria's) can't afford it. I don't particularly care myself, to be honest, but I was impressed to see the following headline in the newspaper Ech Chourouk:

الجزائر على أبواب فضيحة "آرتي-غايت"!


al-Jazaa'ir `alaa 'abwaab faḍiiħat "aartii-gaayt"!
(Algeria is on the verge of an ART-gate scandal!)



Perhaps nothing so illustrates the bankrupt state of journalism than its practitioners' inability to come up with a substitute word for '-gate' when referring to a scandal. OK, I'm exaggerating a little.

It's always possible the author of this construction intended it to be ironic. Or satirical. Who knows? But really folks, enough is enough. Headline writers, can't we set an example and come up with some better words?

If all else fails, how about a complete on-pain-of-death ban?

Here's the latest:
In fact, after a two-year exile following St. Patrick’s-gate, O&A have reemerged as perhaps the important players at the company that fired them, CBS Radio. CBS owns all the stations that have put them back on the air.

Think I'm kidding?

From Wikipedia:
The Watergate scandals left such an impression on the national and international consciousness that many scandals since then have been labeled with the suffix "-gate" — such as Koreagate, Contragate, Whitewatergate, Travelgate, "Zippergate" or Filegate in the U.S., Tunagate in Canada, Dianagate/Squidgygate and Thatchergate in the UK, and even Pemexgate and Toallagate in Mexico. The judging scandal in the pairs event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in which a controversial double gold medal was awarded to Russians Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze and Canadians Jamie Sale & David Pelletier was termed Skategate.

The worst part is that "gate" has spread around the world.

And a few others, from
Wikipedia's lesser known scandals. :

Bananagate — 1975 scandal, in which Oswaldo López Arellano, President of Honduras, accepted a $1.2m bribe from US firm United Brands to halve the banana export levy

Cheriegate — concerning Cherie Blair's association with Carole Caplin, and through her to the convicted fraudster Peter Foster."Curse of 'Cheriegate' strikes again", The Scotsman, 2005-06-18.

Clarkegate — In the UK on April 2006 it was revealed Home Secretary Charles Clarke had failed to deport over 1,000 foreign criminals.

Corngate — The accidental release of genetically modified corn in New Zealand. "Straight Thinking", Truth about Trade and Technology, 2005-06-28.

Debategate — Acquisition of Jimmy Carter's briefing books by Ronald Reagan's team before the presidential debates during the 1980 campaign.

Fajitagate — In November of 2002, three off-duty San Francisco police officers allegedly assaulted two civilians over a bag of steak fajitas.

Gannongate — United States President George W. Bush's White House scandal involving free press conference passes for conservative James Dale Guckert under the false pseudonym Jeff Gannon "Gannongate threatens to expose a huge GOP pedophile and male prostitution ring", Online Journal, 2005-02-18.

Garbagegate, a 2005 scandal in San Jose, California, involving Mayor Ron Gonzales, and a under-the-table deal with the Norcal garbage company.

Jueteng-gate — Scandal involving Philippine president Joseph Estrada alleging that he amassed millions of dollars from an illegal numbers game called jueteng. As a result, he was deposed through a popular uprising.

Koreagate — South Korean businessman Tongsun Park's shady dealings with certain members of Congress (1976)."WIU professor fought abuse in native Korea", Journal Star, 2005-07-12.

Michaelgate — the supposed conspiracy against Michael Jackson that led to the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson. Was written about in a book by author Geraldine Hughes titled, "Michaelgate: The Conspiracy Theories".

Oilgate — the alleged use of PetroSA funds for African National Congress election campaigns "Oilgate: UN probes Iraq deals", Mail and Guardian, 2005-07-08.

Paksagate (Paksageitas) — Impeachment of president Rolandas Paksas of Lithuania

Pardongate — President Clinton's presidential pardons "Dick Morris: Hillary Surging, Thanks to GOP", NewsMax, 2005-06-21.

Phonegate — used for multiple scandals: in Minnesota in the early 1990s, New Hampshire in 2002, and Macedonia in 2004

Pretzelgate — To explain a two-inch bruise on the face of U.S. President George W. Bush, he and his staff claim he hit his face on a coffee table after passing out because he choked on a pretzel.

Quailgate — Describes a scandal when U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shooting Harry Whittington during a quail hunt (see Dick Cheney hunting accident, February 2006). See also Shot in the Face-gate and Fudd Gate.

Sausagegate - 2003 incident in which Randall Simon hit a Milwaukee Brewers mascot with a bat during the "Sausage Race."

Skategate — the scandal over the pairs figure skating results of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where a judge was apparently bribed to fix the outcome. The case went on for nearly two weeks before joint gold medals were granted.

In their own special state of triteness:

Strippergate — Seattle City Council members Heidi Wills and Judy Nicastro vote for rezoning a strip club parking lot in exchange for unethical donations. " Four face charges in 'Strippergate' scandal", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2005-07-12.

Strippergate — A scandal in Canada in 2004 with the Minister of Immigration Judy Sgro accused of granting a visa to a Romanian exotic dancer who worked for her campaign during the 2004 federal election.

Strippergate — San Diego City Council Members Michael Zucchet and Ralph Inzunza are, in 2005, convicted of accepting bribes from a strip club owner in a scheme to get the "no-touch" laws in San Diegan strip clubs repealed. The case was referred to with this name by at least one local television news station in San Diego.

Tunagate — In 1985, a Canadian minister ordered the selling of tuna ruled unfit for consumption.

Whitewatergate — In 1994, President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary were charged with covering up shady investments.

Wikigate — candidates editing wikipedia for political gain e.g. (The Scotsman)