Media Sensationalism

I do think that in some instances there is too much media sensationalism. I think that when this happens it sometimes tends to take away from the importance of the story and makes the viewers focus more on how over baring the whole story is. I guess one example would have to be the Anna Nicole Smith stories. It is getting so out of control the amount of coverage that is going on. It is fine to talk about her if you want to do it in a respectful way, but come on the girl was a human just like all of us, and the media is showing her no respect. I think that this is something that has started to evolve more over the most recent years, now that it is more about ratings and not as much about news worthy material.

News Sensationalism

I do not like it in the news at all. Trying to scare people or use it to get ratings is not good. It is stupid. Meteorologists tend to do this a lot. Maybe because they try to prepare the viewers for the worst case scernario. Other than that aspect, I do not think sensationalism belongs in the news.

News Sensationalism

News sensationalism is a bad thing for all news outlets. I hate when reporters try to make nothing into something by sensationalizing. It is something that we must face now though, since our society is growing accustomed to 24 hour news outlets and the Internet. With each of those outlets, you constantly have a space to fill, so on slow days, you have to start making your own news. I think that the bigger problem we need to look at it how much news do we really need. Also, we need to start making the news more efficient and to make it better since so many people seem to have a problem with the way it is represented. A lot of people are complaining about news now, so we need to do more research to figure out what is working and what is not.

I see stories get sensationalized so often, that I do not even pay attention to it anymore. If I see a story like something almost happened, then I don't pay attention and I know that it must be a slow news day.

news sensationalism

Of course sensationalism harms the media and every source. Sensationalism occurs when you twist a story to make it news and emphasize on minute facts that don't really make the story. This harms the source and the media. It is obvious because a lot of people complain about the news and sensationalism because it makes chicken salad out of chicken shit. But, in their defense, regardless of what is happening in the world, the news still has to happen, fill the full hour, and be on time. If chicken shit is all you've got, you still have to make a great newscast.

The best example I’ve ever seen happened in okc when a story tease had something to do with "A child almost drowns in a neighborhood pool" wow... looks like you almost had news.

News Sensationalism

News sensationalism definitely harms the reputation of any given media source. I believe news sensationalism is part of the reason the general attitude towards news media is increasingly negative. It’s so commonplace for a story to be over-emphasized and ‘sexed’ up that it losses its effectiveness… therefore encouraging the news media to sensationalize even further in order to grab viewers and readers attention.

My definition of news sensationalism is making a story appear to be more of an influential and pressing matter than the facts actually warrant. Often times this will include manipulating a story to seem life-threatening or life-changing.

My favorite examples of news sensationalism are usually from the local evening news. I will be minding my own business, watching Oprah, when a commercial for the 5 o’clock news comes on with a lead like ‘the cure for cancer is found!’ or ‘are deadly toxins in you kitchen cabinets’ and suddenly wanting to know what the real story is. However, the real story is always far less catchy than the commercial hook makes it appear. The cure for cancer is only in the trial stages for rare forms of cancer only found in albino mice and the toxins in my cabinets are only lethal when drank in large quantities… it never ends up being what you hope for.

Bloggin'

I’ve got to admit it… I love celebrity gossip. I don’t know why and I wish I didn’t because it’s kind of trashy, but the truth remains. Celebrity blogs fall under the definition of news, but that does not mean they should be broadcast with the same frequency and prominence as legitimate local and national news.

As far a being reputable goes, some sites do a better job than others. The nature of celebrity gossip itself is somewhat suspicious so the sites parleying this information aren’t always reputable. Some blogs do genuinely try to remain truthful, backing up sources and pictures and labeling unconfirmed gossip as such.

It really bothers me when this kind of story makes headlines in the local and national news. There will be times when celebrities warrant headlines on channels like CNN and MSNBC, but when they are the lead story everyday for two weeks, that is a problem. When I want the latest info on Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears, I turn the station to E!, not a 24 hour ‘news’ channel. The celebrity culture of our nation seems to have created the need for these blogs which in turn have influenced the news.

Celebrity Bloggs...

Celebrity blogs can be news. Seems to me like it depends on the reader. Everybody has a slightly different conception of "relevant news." There are actually two important questions implied by the question. What is news? And what is a celebrity? To me, both seem highly relevant.

News is the information that people need and/or the information they think they need. These two things are not always different and they're not always the same. All people have niche interests. Blogs are a great tool to fill these niches. Therefor, if they are not always news, they at least have a high potential for being news, to somebody.

Now, at first glance, it seems odd to put the words celebrity and credible together. What makes these people any more credible than Billy-Bob-Down-The-Street-Digs-Holes-In-His-Front-Yard-For-No-Apparent-Reason? Well, what makes them celebrities. They rose to public attention somehow. Could it be that they're doing something better than everyone else?

Here, let's look at an example. I'm a video game freak. I float from game reviews to news about things changing in the industry. It's an interest of mine that I stay on top of pretty relentlessly. Shigeru Miyamoto is a celebrity in the gaming world. He is the man who created Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda, three of the biggest games in the history of games. I would consider any blog entry by him to be news, hands down.

I'm sure a similar example exists for just about every other niche interest.