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Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a pejorative journalistic term. That denounces information management to produce sensation, emotion, or impression. It applies to all media. Other words use sensationalism or “yellow press” and gossip journalism or “pink press.” The sensationalist press characterizes by disseminating controversial, shocking, or attention-grabbing information. To the detriment of other issues or the objectively more essential aspects of such problems.
It is common for tabloid media to spread false or damaging information repeatedly. The objectives of sensationalism are spurious for journalism: obtaining more significant repercussions at all costs and, therefore, more excellent economic benefits or the manipulation of public opinion.
Informative Sensationalism as a News Phenomenon Associated with Contemporary Media
The sensationalism of information is a technique or style that expresses and interprets reality to produce an impression, emotion, and sensation in
The population. It applies to all media characterize by the tendency to exaggerate and dramatize the narrated information, which leads to a distorted reality. Moreover, this style disseminates, for the most part, controversial statements in which violence, catastrophes, crimes, murders, kidnappings, robberies, best interest, and other aspects of social life trivialize. To attract attention, creating an idea far from reality misinforms the community.
However, until another half of the 19th century, this style of journalism was assumed, which was identified mainly in England, Germany, France, and United States.
Sensationalism: Analysis of a Concept
To define the sensationalism concept, it is necessary first to address the word’s etymology, as collected by the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of Language. The RAE defines sensationalism as the “tendency to produce sensation, emotion or impression, with news, events, etc.” and defines “sensation” as the “impression that things produce in the soul through the senses.” The term thus appears originally and expressly linked to the treatment of the news, a process aimed at provoking a specific effect in the recipients: enhancing their emotionality rather than rationality through informative discourse.
What do the Students Think? And What does Deontological Ethics Say?
The Journalism students of the Completeness University have a great job. However, when it comes to informing about the future, they all agree on a clear opinion. And that is that in journalism, “not everything goes,” and raising awareness among those close to part of the media is essential when it comes to informing. But, at the same time, they approve that the pressure for the exclusive and for giving the scoop. It has become a problem where staying calm is the key to being rigorous because, in the end, being the first is not always being the best.
The Work of the Media
At times, the media pushes the boundaries by meddling in the family drama and sidelining the case by interviewing the victims at such a sensitive time. The first case that put the press between the ropes in the ethical field was the Alcoser case. Until now, there was no precedent for the immoral treatment of the media. Towards a case as dreadful as the murder of the three young protagonists of this event
What is the Difference between Sensationalism, Red Chronicle, and Popular Press?
Clarify the following concepts and establish their differences: sensationalism, sensationalism, red news, and popular press.
Response:
The four terms have in common the responsibility of the journalist to inform.
As the word says, the sensationalist is the one who addresses only the senses or sensations of people and stimulates them. Particularly hearing and sight, because it supposes that this is what attracts the recipients of the information. Those who only need to see and hear but do not use their intelligence or social sensitivity.
The former is not synonymous with sensationalism. Later that word, tabloids, meant the tendency to highlight crime and catastrophe news on the front pages.
This trend of commercial origin, based on the belief that more copies sold, or a more significant audience obtained, limits the objective of journalistic information and prevents the receiver from knowing the most profound and most solid aspects of the facts.
The red chronicle is the pejorative term used to designate judicial information. When it highlights the bloody nature of the events it narrates. Excluding other aspects of the information such as the social impact and context.
The popular press is the designation of one of the best advances of the media that deals. In the first place, it communicates the news with the most significant impact and the relationship with the population’s life. Use communication techniques, among others, the friendly and straightforward language that allows the popular classes to access the knowledge of reality. This press fulfills its function when it provides a service and does not use what is popular to do business.
Criticism of a Way of Telling the Reality
One of the main problems that sensationalism presents. It is that it usually shows reality only through low blows, violence, aggressiveness, situations of pain and suffering, catastrophes, etc. Which, as proven, generates in public a mixture of sensations. That range from the obvious, pain, sadness, or sorrow, to the less recognized, such as interest, fanaticism, or the search to continue accompanying suffering.
Thus, sensationalism has the upper hand. Because it knows that gimmicky titles with block letters and striking phrases tend to have a larger audience.
What Types of Media use this Strategy?
Today, we cannot speak of a single type of media that uses sensationalism to attract the public. While before, this used to be reserved almost exclusively for love magazines, gossip shows, and evening programming. Nowadays, political and economic programs have become sensationalist to find a larger rating.
Conclusion
Sensationalism is a new way of telling the news. Using the information to cause a sensation or impression on the receiving public. It is one of the most peculiar phenomena of the modern world. Also known as sensationalism, it emerged during the 20th and 21st centuries, being a characteristic element of today’s societies.
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