A memorable moment in the HBO series Chernobyl is when the plant manager and chief engineer hands Borys Shcherbyna, newly arrived on the scene, a small slick of paper, explaining that they have already conducted an inquiry and compiled a list of individuals who may be “accountable” for the disaster. In its tragicomic way, it is a hilarious scene, a relic of a bygone era. Or is it not? In domestic corporate communications, scapegoats are often offered, who bear the full responsibility for the failure of an entire organization, in other words, an organizational failure. Why might this be a problem from a communication point of view? We try to answer this question.