Editorial : Acknowledging media sensationalism
Over the past two decades, mainstream media headlines across North America have shifted dramatically towards sensationalism.
What were once straightforward, neutral introductions to long-form investigative stories have evolved into snappy hooks with emotionally provocative wording. This shift is closely tied to the rise of the internet, social media and the 24-hour news cycle.
Traditional media has been going in a downward spiral for decades. The internet and forces of digital media, especially ad-revenue-hungry tech giants like Google and Meta, have aggravated this in the late 20th century. These pressures have transformed the media’s approach to reporting, prioritizing engagement over depth and quality.
This is not a new phenomenon, though it is newly exacerbated. Throughout the history of media publication, periods of significant growth and decline in journalism have mostly aligned with the emergence of new technologies, even during times when ad-based journalism was still effective.
Unsettlingly, the modern financial dissolution of journalism comes in parallel with a generally booming economy.
As consumers, we have grown accustomed to the convenience of bite-sized information and dopamine-triggering content. We are more likely to share stories that evoke strong emotions—whether outrage, fear or validation—than those that challenge us to think critically.
As journalists, we have grown dependent on sensationalism, emotional appeal and ideological targeting, transforming headlines from accurate summaries of news stories to tools for audience manipulation.
Reaching the public with reliable information is becoming increasingly challenging as tech platforms prioritize viral content over quality journalism. Traffic leading to global news sites from Meta's Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) has plummeted over the past few years.
Some studies suggest that, in the post-pandemic era, audience interest in journalism has waned, with "news fatigue" being the contributing factor. Crisis-centric headlines underscoring the idea that the world is always on the brink of calamity may be to blame.
This new world where readers are no longer patient consumers of long-form analysis, but participants in an online economy of attention, clicks and page views, is a world where headlines promise more than they deliver.
Headline framing plays a critical role in the relatively new phenomenon of media echo chambers, as well as political polarization, psychological feedback loops and a desensitization to high-stakes news. In this new media reality, headlines no longer summarize the story; they are the story, designed to tap into our human psychology. When people become desensitized to high-stakes language, it becomes difficult for the media to convey genuinely urgent messages.
Undoubtedly, the most significant harm to the news ecosystem in the past two decades has occurred at the local level.
The Link acknowledges its sensationalism as a news outlet operating in the digital age, facing the same pressures of capitalism and engagement as any modern media outlet.
It would be absurd to expect some kind of free-market-based financial turnaround. But an economy that does not compensate quality journalism is one that is paving the path to journalism’s extinction.
As a media organization, we have strived to operate according to the fundamental principles of journalism from the pre-digital era, which remained grounded in long-standing ethics like accuracy, fairness and depth.
As you read through the Illicit Issue, we hope our long-form reporting gives you something to reflect on. Beyond the snappy headlines, we have done our best to highlight the voices of people who live, work and operate within social taboos.
While it is easy to plaster the world of the illicit with excitement and sensationalism, it is more important to approach these topics with sensitivity and care. The question now is how we move forward, ensuring that journalism regains its integrity while adapting to the demands of an ever-connected, fast-paced world.
This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 4, published October 22, 2024.
