sensationalism

(noun)

The use of sensational subject matter, style, or methods, or the sensational subject matter itself; behavior, published materials, or broadcasts that are intentionally controversial, exaggerated, lurid, loud, or attention-grabbing. Especially applied to news media in a pejorative sense that they are reporting in a manner to gain audience or notoriety at the expense of accuracy and professionalism.

Related Terms

Examples of sensationalism in the following topics:

  • Media Bias

    • Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media where events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers.
    • Sensationalism may include reporting about generally insignificant matters and events that don't influence overall society and biased presentations of newsworthy topics in a sensationalist, trivial, or tabloid manner.
    • The most commonly discussed forms of bias occur when the media support or attack a particular political party, candidate, or ideology; however, other common forms of bias exist, including advertising bias, corporate bias, mainstream bias, sensationalism, and concision bias.
    • Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers.
    • Sensationalism may include reporting about generally insignificant matters and events that don't influence overall society, as well as biased presentations of newsworthy topics in a sensationalist, trivial, or tabloid manner.

  • The Rise of Adversarial Journalism

    • To add sensationalism, an "expert" may be given manufactured statistics that imply that a three-fold increase in drug use is occurring in suburban schools, and asked to comment on what it might mean, if this statistic was real.