Over the years, the media has become more sensational and less sensible leading to misrepresentation and exaggeration of information. Sensationalism refers to a form of bias in media whereby news events, stories, and the topic pieces are overhyped hence resulting to the presentation of subjective impersonation on issues, and this may result to manipulation of the legitimacy of a story (Willis, 17). The press stages up and focuses on sensational news stories such as sex scandals, murders, kidnappings and car crashes among others. It is thus important to address this topic because the media has diverted from its role of informing the people on the facts concerning their government and dealing with matters that require urgency in action and attention and is now focusing on irrelevant issues which do not add value to the society. The press thus needs to focus on more sensible and informative news which are important to the society rather than the exciting and insignificant sensational stories.
The problem and its impacts
Media sensationalism leads to misinformation due to the spread of dishonest, negative and misleading news. Sensational reporting aims at increasing or sustaining the readership or viewership so that the media outlets can be in a position to price their advertising rates high and increase their level of profits due to the high number of viewers or readers. It is problematic in that it leads to a lesser focus on the objective journalism since their motive is profit oriented. The editorial choices adopted by the mass media are usually based on the sensational stories as well as presentations so that they can increase their advertising revenue. Research reveals that journalists go for the sensational stories not because they feel they are important news but to increase viewership and readership. Advertisers have a high preference for a positive report concerning their products and services on the mass media. The act contributes to biases in the reporting of the news to favor the media outlets focused in the protection of their revenues and profits instead of objective reporting on the state services and products (Croteau, " William, 164). The act depicts how the media has become commodified by the corporate labels and the priority airtime offered to sensationalism over the substantive news. The problems, however, cannot be linked to the mass media alone. The reason behind this is the fact that it is the society which has encouraged consumerism more than substance. Many people in the society are not ready and willing to face the truth and act on it and thus prefer hiding away from the truth. The sensationalism of the media can also lead to the inflammation of a situation that is already dangerous hence causing chaos in a country (Wolfsfeld, 180).
Causes of sensationalism
Jumping to a conclusion without carrying out analysis of the facts from both sides, lack of professionalism and being profit oriented contributes to this problem. In mass media today, a small hint of lead usually lead to the breaking news. Many of the journalists are quick to jump into conclusion when they receive information on a certain issue without first ensuring that they carry out the necessary research required so that they can come up with comprehensive and substantive information. The breaking news followed by the paid debates, news flashes, and opinion polls. This result to the release of news that is half-baked to the members of the public which are not well researched and in most of the cases manipulated so that the intended intention can be brought out. The other aspect is that most of the journalists lack work ethics and professionalism. They intrude people’s privacy just because of allegations that they are involved in scandals and also focus more on stalking the celebrities and this makes them appear more of creeps rather than seekers of information (Sachsman, "David, 111). This situation has gone out of hand because the information seekers only use a single sentence and manipulate it so that it can meet their controversial interests. There are misleading headlines all over the news media so that they can garner more viewership and audience and this is not right. Although the mass media has a duty of reporting and investigating on the issues that are related to political corruption, they should ensure that their reports are backed up with the necessary primary resources, documents, and interviews with witnesses who are responsible. Work ethics and professionalism are key in every business and career, and it is thus important for the journalists to adopt this and abide by it so that they can be in a position to effectively deliver as required. As a result of the increased privatization of the media channels, the role of the media has been negatively affected. Many of the media channels are profit-oriented, and this has made the role of the media to become biased, and it has ceased being an impartial commentator of society. The media mostly focuses on meeting their interests and increasing their level of profitability. Through sensationalism, the media channels can gain more audience, and they thus price their advertisements higher to garner profits. Advertisements get more airtime than the news. Being profit oriented rarely causes good things at the societal level.
Solution
To curtail this trend, people should limit their exposure to the media and choose what they should watch. The news sources tend to bombard individuals with similar negative stories from time to time. At times, very small events and incidences in the lives of politicians and celebrities are usually hyped to make them appear more sensational. People should thus focus on watching good programs that hold healthy content, take part in positive activities and also encourage each other to take similar steps. It is clear that the media is a business and it thus focuses on meeting the needs of the consumers or otherwise it would be forced to seize operating (Berry, 85). The sensationalism in the media can only decrease if people’s demand for that sensationalism goes down because it’s the customer who shapes this with their decision to consume it or not.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is clear that the media needs to focus on the presentation of news that is more sensible and less sensational. The media is not the only contributor to sensationalism since it’s just a business like any other that is offering business to its clients. It is the customers who shape what the media offers as they choose what to or what not to consume. To solve the problem of media sensationalism, the consumers’ needs to focus on watching programs whose content is healthy, encourage their families and friends to do so and also engage in other positive activities. The problem of media sensationalism can only decrease if the effort put in place is equal to the natural desire and the increasing demand for receiving the sensational information.
Works Cited
Berry, David. Ethics and Media Culture. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Print. Page 85
Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. The business of media: corporate media and the public interest. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press, 2006. Print.
Danesi, Marcel. Encyclopedia of media and communication. Toronto Ont: University of Toronto Press, 2013. Print.
Sachsman, David B., and David W. Bulla. Sensationalism: murder, mayhem, mudslinging, scandals, and disasters in 19th-century reporting. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2013. Print.
Willis, Jim. 100 media moments that changed America. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press, 2010. Print. Page 17
Wolfsfeld, Gadi. Media and the path to peace. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
