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BriannaKennedy
ENC1102
25April2016
SensationalismintheNewsMedia:InformingthePubliconWhatTheyWantandNeedtoHear
Ifyoufliponyourtelevisiontoanewschannelyouaremorethanlikelytohearthe
wordsbreakingnews,andifyouwalkpastanewsstand,oddsarethatyouwillmostlikelysee
thosesamewordsinallcapitalletterssprawledoutacrossthefrontpageofanewspaperor
magazine.Thisisbecausethishasbeenthewaynewscompaniesattracttheirviewers,anditis
describedassensationalism,whichisdefinedastheuseofexcitingorshockinglanguageatthe
expenseofaccuracyinastoryinordertopromotepublicinterestandpromotepublicexcitement.
Thesensationalismthattakesplaceinnewsstoriesismostoftenblamedonthejournalistsand
reporterswhoworkforthevariousnewsmediacompanies.Ajournalist'sjobistohelpthe
publicbecomeinformedonandunderstandthecomplexissuesandeventsthatgoonintheworld
aroundthemandtogivethempublicabroaderperspectiveonworldwideissuesandevents.The
numberofsensationalnewsstoriesinthemediatodaypromptsmetoexaminetheethicalissues
thatarerelatedtothetypesofsensationalisednewsstoriesbroughttothepublic'sattentionby
themedia,andtoexaminethemanypositiveeffectssensationalismhasinthenewsmedia.
Inreality,sensationalismhassuccessfullybeenusedinthemediathroughouthistory
sincetheverybeginning.InAHistoryofNews,theauthor,MitchellStephens,professorof
journalismandmasscommunicationatNewYorkUniversity,explainsthatsensationalism
canbefoundintheAncientRomanbookofofficialannouncementsthatwerepresentedondaily
publicmessageboardscalledActaDiurna.MitchellStephensbookalsonotesthat

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sensationalismwasusedtoteachmorallessonsin16thand17thcentury.Mitchell
Stephensclaimedthatthroughtheuseofsensationalism,theaudienceshowedmoreinterestin
thenewsthatwasbeingpresented.IntheUnitedStates,sensationalisminthenewsmediabegan
primarilybecauseofthecreationofthePennyPress.ThePennyPressnewspaperswerecheap
tabloidtypenewspapersthatfirststartedbeingmassproducedinthe1830s.ThesePennyPress
newspaperscostonlyonepennyperpaper,whichmadenewsavailabletothelowerclassgroup
ofpeopleforthefirsttimeeverintheUnitedStates.ShortlyafterthePennyPresswascreated,
journalistsrealizedthatthislowerclassaudiencewasnotinterestedinthesametypesofnews
thattheupperclassgroupofpeoplewereinterestedin,leadingjournaliststostarttocovermany
moreentertainmentstoriesoncrimeandsexscandals.
Overacenturyandahalflater,newsstoriesarenowbeingbroadcastedontelevision,and
youmaynotevennoticewhenanewstoryyouarewatchingisbeingsensationalizedbecauseit
mayseemasifitisjustanormalpartofthenewsstory,asifitissupposedtobethere.For
example,consideranewsstoryaboutashootingorafire,abadcaraccidentorapolicestandoff.
Youmayhearthereportercoveringthisnewsstoryaddinthefactthatthatthiseventtookplace
dangerouslyclosetoaschoolorlessthan10milesawayfromaschoolwhenmanyschools
justhappentobeonlylessthantenmilesawayfromthebigcityinwhichthiseventtookplace,
sothereisalwaysaschoolcloseenoughtomaketheconnection.Notonlywillthereportersay
thatthisincidenttookplacenearaschool,butthereporterwillcontinuetorepeatit.Thisevent
mayhavebeencompletelyirrelevanttotheschool,havenorelationatall,butthefactthatthose
listeningtothenewsbroadcasthearthewordschool,thoughtsaboutchildren"anddanger
cometomindwhichinturnmakestheviewermoreinterested.Thisisanexampleof

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sensationalisminthenewsmediawherethemediawasnottechnicallylyingbuttheyusedthis
informationofanearbyschooltodramatizethestoryandgainthepublicsattention.Areporter
mayopenupastorysayingsomethingalongthelinesofAgaslinehasruptured,couldthis
happeninyourneighborhood?Anewsstoryaboutagaslinerupturingsomewhereelseintown
isirrelevanttoamajorityofthepublicsotheyarenotlikelytowatchthenewsforthat,butthe
reporterendingtheintroductiontothestorybysayingcouldthishappeninyour
neighborhood?makespeoplestopandlistenbecausethisstoryseemsasifitaffectsthem
personallywhen,inreality,itdoesnot.Thefirstoftwoexamplesoflargescalesensationalismin
thenewsmediathatwillbeusedthroughoutthispaperiswhentheWorldHealthOrganization
releasedareportstatingthatcertainprocessedmeatscanbecarcinogenic.Thisreportledtothe
newsmediaorganizationscomparingcarcinogenicmeatstothecarcinogenicqualitiesin
cigarettes,alarmingthepublic.Thisisoneaccountofsensationalisminthemediaonalarger,
moreglobalscale.Thesecondexampleofalargerscaleuseofsensationalisminthenewsmedia
thatwillbeusedthroughoutisregardingtheswineflubackin2009.

AntiSensationalismintheNewsMedia
Manypeoplethinksensationalisminthenewsmediaisabadthingandarguethat
sensationalismcausesreporterstotwistsomefactsinthenewsstoryandcanleadtobiasinthe
mediaaswell.Eventsandtopicsinnewsstoriesareoftenoverhypedtogainattentionfrom
viewers,andsomethinkandarguethatthiscancausemanipulationtothetruthofthestory.The
mediatendstoplayupanddwellonstoriesthatareboringtothepublicandthismakesthem
sensational.Thisincludes,butisnotlimitedto,newspiecesthatinvolvemurders,caraccidents,

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kidnappings,shootings,missingpersons,andsexscandals.Accordingtoastudythatwasdone
bytheAmericanSocietyofNewspaperEditors,80percentoftheAmericanPublicbelievethat
journalistsreportonthesesensationalstoriesbecausetheythinkitwillsellnewspapersandget
viewers,notbecausetheythinkitisimportantnewsforthepublictohear.Thissamestudyalso
showedthat85percentoftheAmericanPublicbelievethatnewspapersalsotrytosellmoreby
overdramatizingsomeofthesensationalnewsstories.Manypeoplefeelthatsomestoriesendup
inthenewsmerelybecausetheyexcitethepublic,notbecausetheyareinformingthemon
somethingthatisimportant.AnothersurveythatwastakenbytheAmericanSocietyof
NewspaperEditorsreportsthat23percentofpeoplesaytheyfindfactualerrorsinnewsstoriesat
leastonceaweekandalsoshowedthat80percentofpeopleagreethatstoriesthatare
sensationalizedgetalotofnewscoveragenotbecausetheyareimportant,butbecausetheyare
exciting.Manynewspapersreportandinvestigatestoriesthatarerelatedtopoliticsandpolitical
corruption.Occasionally,newsorganizationsareknowntomistakenlycomeoutwithfalse
informationfromanonymousunreliablesources.Thenewsmediamayalsoreporton
informationonlyifitmakesagoodstory,notregardingaccuracyorrealfacts.
AftertheWorldHealthOrganizationreleasedareportstatingthatcertainprocessed
meatscanbecarcinogenic,thoseagainstsensationalisminthenewsmediaclaimthatthenews
mediasourcessensationalizedandoverdramatizedthisinformation.Afterthisreportregarding
informationoncarcinogenicprocessedmeatsbytheWorldHealthOrganizationwaspublished,
TheGuardian,aBritishNationalDailyNewspaper,letoutaheadlinethatsaid,
Processedmeats
rankalongsidesmokingascancercauses.Thewaythisheadlineiswrittencould
misinterpretation.Aviewerfromthepublictocouldthinkthatthereporterissayingthateating

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processedmeatsisequallyascancercausingassmokingcigarettesis.Thisisnotthecaseandis
nottheexactinformationthatwasletoutinthestudy,butitissomethingthatwillgraspthe
attentionofthepublicandgainanaudienceforthisnewsmediasource.
Thosewhotakeoppositiontosensationalisminthemediaalsobelievethatnews
organizationsoverreportedabouttheswineflubecausenewsstationshavetimeslotstofilland
newsmediaorganizationsknewthatrunningthesestoriesregardingsymptomsandother
informationwouldgainalotofpublicattention.Duringthetimethatswinefluepidemicwas
widelyreportedinthenewsmedia,manyofficesandschoolshadrecordsoflowattendance.
AccordingtoanewsarticlebySusieLuanintheCentralKentuckyNews,
InAugust,Junction
CityElementaryclosedforaweekwhenattendancedroppedsolowthatschoolcouldn't
continue.Themiddleschoolintheareawentfromanormal90percentattendanceto82percent,
andSuperintendentChuckHamiltonstatedthathecouldn'tsayexactlyhowmanystudentshave
beenaffectedbytheH1N1virus,becausetheschooldoesn'treceiveofficialdiagnoses.Parents
maytelltheschooltheirchildhasH1N1becausethesymptomsaresimilar,butitmightnot
actuallybeH1N1.

ProSensationalismintheNewsMedia
Thosewhoarenotagainstsensationalisminthenewsmediabelievethatslightlyaltering
andexaggeratingnewsstoriestogainattentionisnotasbadassomepeoplemaymakeitseem.
Sensationalismgrabsattentionfrompeople,andthiscancauseinformationtobepassedaround
fasterandmoreefficiently.Astorymaybeimportantforthepublictohear,butthetopicit
coversmaybeboringanduninteresting.Tomakethestorymoreappealingandgetpeopleto

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listen,thepressmaysensationalizetheimportantinformation.Goingbacktothereportgivenby
theWorldHealthOrganizationregardingcertainprocessedmeatsbeingcarcinogenic:thepublic
hasarighttoknowwhatisinthefoodtheyarebuyingandeating,especiallywhenitcomesto
meatsthattheycanbeeatingalmosteveryday.Thosewhoarenotagainstsensationalisminthe
newsmediaarguethatitwasappropriateforTheGuardian,aBritishNationalDailyNewspaper,
toletouttheheadlinethattheydid.Thepeoplehavearighttoknowthistypeofinformation
regardingthefoodtheyareeatingdaily,especiallyifthisinformationincludesfactsaboutthis
foodharmingthem.Althoughcomparingprocessedmeatscarcinogenicitytothecarcinogenicity
ofcigarettesmaybethoughtofasoverdramatictothoseopposingsensationalisminthenews
media,processedmeatsarestillfoundascancercausingwhichisharmfultothebody.
Thepublicwhoareprosensationalisminthemediaalsoagreethatthenewsmedia
organizationsdidnotdoanythingwrongbyoverreportingabouttheswinefluanddidnotdoso
justbecausetheyhadtimeslotstofill.Thesepeoplewhoarenotagainstsensationalisminthe
newsmediabelievethatbecausethenewsmediamassreportingontheswineflu,manypeople
wentoutandgotvaccinated,whichinturncouldhavesavedmanylives.Inablogposttitled
HastheSwineFluStorybeenOverblown?writerJackCaffertyofCNNaskedhisreaders
whetherornottheythinktheswinefluhasbeenoverblown.TerrancefromNewJersey,areader
ofhisblog,answeredbacksaying
Itsnotoverblownatall.Whenamemberofourfamily
catchesthisdisease,wewillallknowwhattodotogetwellandnotspreaditaround.Thisis
whatmakesourcountrysogreat.Wearewellinformedabouteverythingthroughthemedia
Accordingtoanarticletitled
PandemicFluHistorypublishedon
flu.gov,inNovemberof
2009,theyearthattheswinefluwasspreadingquicklyacrosstheUnitedStatesandaroundthe

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world,over80millionpeoplewerevaccinatedagainsttheH1N1viruswhichminimizedthe
impactoftheillness.Clearly,sensationalismhadapositiveeffectonthepublic.

NewsMediaOrganizationsProSensationalismintheNewsMedia
Journalismandnewsmediaisaneverevolvingfield,andintodayssociety,
journalismandnewsmediacompaniesarelosingtheircredibility.Sensationalismeffectsnot
onlythepublicwhoisreceivingtheinformationbutalsothosereportersandjournalistswho
workforthesecompaniesandreportthenews.Becauseofallthenewformsoftechnologyand
socialmediaintoday'sdayandage,therearemanyothertoolswithwhichthepublicusestogain
informationonwhatevertheywantattheirfingertips,andnewscompaniesneedwaysinwhich
theycanattractviewersandstraythemawayfromthesenewmethodsofgainingnews.
Sensationalismisprimarilyusedforthreethings:ratings,audience,andattention.Themore
interestingthestoryis,themoreattentionthatisbroughttoitbythepublic.Themoreattention
fromthepublicmeansmoreviewersandmoreadvertisingrevenuecomingintothenewsmedia
companies.
Whenareportispublished,liketheonereleasedbytheWorldHealthOrganization
statingthatcertainprocessedmeatscanbecarcinogenic,thenewsmediaorganizationsknowthat
thisissomethingthatthepublicwillnotonlywanttobeinformedaboutbutissomethingthatthe
publicneedstobeinformedabout.Britain'sNationalDailyNewspaper,TheGuardian,knewthat
comingoutwiththisnewreportofcancercausingprocessedmeatsbycomparingittothe
carcinogencigaretteswouldgainalotofpublicattention,thusbenefittingthepublicandtheir
newsmediacompany.Thepublicwouldbeinterestedintheheadlinethusleadingthemto

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becominginformedonthisinformationthatcouldpossiblysavetheirlifeandthenewsmedia
organizationwouldgainviewersandrevenuefrompeoplepurchasingtheirnewspapersandfrom
advertisements.Thesamethinggoesfortheswinefluepidemicof2009.Thesenewsmedia
organizationsknewthatthepublicwouldlooktothemfortheinformationregardingthisvirus,
sotheywouldgainalotofviewersandpublicattentionwhilethepublicisbenefitingbygetting
theinformationtheyneedtoinsuretheystayhealthy.InanarticleforCBSnews,reporterBrian
Montopolistatedthattheswinefluoutbreak
maybeoneofthoserarecaseswherealittle
sensationalismwasn'tsuchabadthing.Themediasupportssensationalismnotonlybecauseit
bringsinrevenue,butitalsokeepsthepublicsafe,alert,andawareofthethingsgoingonaround
them.

ThePublicBecomingInformed
InAHistoryofNews,theauthor,MitchellStephens,explainsthatsensationalismin
thenewsmediaisalmostunavoidablebecausewehumansarewired,probablyforreasonsof
naturalselection,tobealerttosensations,particularlythoseinvolvingsexandviolence.
Thesenewsorganizationsaretheonestrustedbythepublictorelaytheinformationaboutwhat
isgoingonintheworldandtoinformthepublicaboutmanyimportantthingstheyneedto
know.Ifthesenewsorganizationsaretrustedandarereliedonforthisinformation,itis
importantforthepublictobeabletopointoutthepiecesofanewsstorythatmaybeover
dramatizedorsensationalized.Ifthepublicisabletodepictanewsstoryandfindanythingthat
maybeoverexaggerated,theywillbeabletostaymoreinformedandunderstandwhatisreally
seriousandwhatisreallygoingonintheeverevolvingworldwelivein.Sensationalisminthe

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newsmediaissomethingthatthepublicneedstobeeducatedaboutbecausethegeneralpublicis
madeupofthepeoplethatarebeinginfluencedbythisintheirdailylife,andifthepublicis
educatedproperlyonwhatsensationalismis,thentheywouldcometorealizethatitisnot
necessarilyabadthing.Whenthenewsmediaorganizationsreportedabouttheswineflu
epidemic,itledtomuchofthepublicbecomingvaccinatedandpayingcloserattentiontotheir
health,takingprecautionstoensuretheywerenotbecomingill.Sensationalismismerelyanother
toolusedtokeepthepublicinterested,informed,andensuredoftheirsafetyandwellbeing.

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