Sensationalism is the presentation of information in a biased way, with the intention of causing strong reactions in the recipient of the message.
Sensationalism is a method used by the media to generate interest in the public and, thus, increase the number of recipients. It can be used in all forms of media, but it has a special recurrence in written journals.
Sensationalism involves the use of exaggerations, intentional omissions of important information or even lies (fake news) in the news presentation. This is because the sensationalist method, as a rule, aims to serve particular political or economic interests.
In rare cases, sensationalism reflects real enthusiasm on the part of the message speaker, with no intention of manipulating the information.
The sensationalism systematically exploits the taste that part of the public has for exaggeration, drama and controversy. Thus, to offer these elements, sensationalist journalism can manifest itself:
- in titles
- in the vocabulary used and in rhetorical effects
- in the typography used
- in photos and illustrations
Sensationalism can also be called “yellow journalism”. The expression works as a euphemism and originated in the dispute for readers that occurred among newspapers New York World and New York Journal at the end of the 19th century. Both newspapers applied all forms of sensationalism to their stories in order to increase circulation.
history of sensationalism
Although it seems a practice of exclusively negative effects, the origin of sensationalism goes back to Ancient Rome, in which it was noticed that the notes Officials and advertisements written in a certain way generated more interest and excitement in the illiterate society of the time and, therefore, had greater reach.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, sensationalism was used to increase the dissemination of books that preached moral values. The same rhetoric was used to write news aimed at the masses, increasing their interest and engagement in political and economic issues.
In the nineteenth century, sensationalism was applied in the literary world in England, giving rise to a genre called "sensation novel", marked by surprising and shocking narratives. With the sales success of this style of book, the same strategy started to be applied in other types of publications.
Features and examples of sensationalism
The sensationalism has some traits that define its style:
Overkill
Sensational news tends to exaggerate the facts in order to provoke feelings such as surprise, anger and excitement. Often, trivial and irrelevant facts are augmented in order to make an impact.
Example:
So-and-so makes an apology for the crime: "I've already stolen an apple from the neighbor."
appeals to emotions
Sensationalism explores the emotion of the target audience, appealing to the common feeling of the population about a certain subject, such as corruption, health, safety, etc.
Example:
The mayor's incompetence has killed thousands of people this year.
Omitting important information
Sensationalism often presents only part of the information, omitting other essentials for understanding the subject.
Example:
When the governor said he would close two roads for renovation for a period of 2 weeks, a local newspaper reported, "State government decides to close roads."
lack of objectivity
Sensational journalism does not value the objectivity of information and presents news in a biased, targeted and based on personal opinion.
Example:
How much longer do we have to put up with this?
Clickbait
On the internet, sensationalism can also be presented in the form of clickbait (click-hunting), through which the headline is presented incompletely, forcing the reader to access the material to understand the statement.
Example:
You won't believe what scientists have discovered!
Sensationalism and sensationalism
Some dictionaries consider the terms sensationalism and sensationalism synonymous. However, words are often used in different contexts.
While sensationalism is the biased way of presenting news, in order to impact the recipient of the message, sensationalism refers to a philosophical, literary and aesthetic current that defends that the only real thing is the sensation.
See too:
- Journalism
- Communication
- Interlocutor
- fake news
- News