CRJ3014 Week 4 Discussion: Sensationalism in Journalism Analysis

This discussion post examines the critical distinction between sensationalism and journalism, using the controversial CBS "60 Minutes" broadcast of Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted suicide of Thomas Youk as a case study. The post argues that sensationalism prioritizes attention-grabbing content, often at the expense of ethical considerations and informative value, while journalism adheres to a strict code of ethics, aiming for unbiased reporting. The author analyzes the ethical implications of airing the videotape, highlighting how the channel may have prioritized publicity over responsible reporting. The post also briefly discusses the media's coverage of correctional stories, comparing the attention given to trials versus post-trial narratives. The author references several sources to support the arguments, emphasizing the importance of journalistic integrity and the potential for media bias. The post concludes by underscoring the need for journalists to maintain professionalism and avoid sensationalistic practices.

Running head: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATIONALISM AND JOURNALISM
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATIONALISM AND JOURNALISM
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATIONALISM AND JOURNALISM
In 1998, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) aired the assisted suicide of Thomas
Youk by Dr. Jack Kevorkian and made headlines, mostly negative. The airing received backlash
from all around the globe and from all professional spheres as well.
Journalism is a profession that requires extreme adherence to ethics and moral code of
conduct. It requires the reporter or journalist to maintain an extremely professional and unbiased
outlook while reporting on various issues. However, many journalists engage in the malpractice
of reporting and broadcasting news that are of least interest to the public. These are broadcast
simply to raise the rating points for the channel and garner as much attention and profit as
possible. This tendency has been termed as ‘sensationalism’ (Ge, 2016). When news channels
broadcast any story that they know is controversial, attention grabbing, with least informative
value and shocking, it is called sensationalism.
The airing of the assisted suicide in a national news channel like CBS is clearly
sensationalism. The channel and the producers knew that airing the video tape of Dr. Kevorkian
would attract vast viewer attention and criticism as well but in either case, it would give them
huge publicity. The channel could easily have avoided showing the entire tape and could have
broadcast the story without it. However, James (2018) states that without airing the tape, Dr.
Kevorkian would have gone unnoticed from public eye. The broadcast helped expose the doctor.
It is but also true that the channel had no intention to expose the doctor but to garner cheap
publicity.
Correctional stories refer to the stories that feature stories of people who undergo
corrections either with death or through correctional facilities. When it comes to the popularity
of correctional stories, it cannot be said that it has more news value than crime and justice issues

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATIONALISM AND JOURNALISM
have. However, correctional stories are newsworthy when it depicts the stories of people who
have come out as better human being after attending correctional facilities.
The story of Scott Petersen who was sent to correctional facility after being charged with
the murder of his wife and unborn child received widespread attention (The Guardian, 2018).
The trials were shown to the public on every day, every hour basis. Similar was the case with OJ
Simpson, a renowned basketball player, actor and broadcaster of America who was accused of
murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1994 (The Guardian, 2018). Simpson’s
chase by the police, his arrest and trial was one of the most widely viewed events in American
broadcast history. He was later given the verdict by the jury as not guilty’ and after that no news
report was done on him (Shapiro, 2018). In both the cases, it is evident that the media only
follows the stories before and during the trials. The reason is that the newsworthy content ends
with the drama and tension surrounding the trial and the verdict. After the channels garner the
required attention, they do not find it necessary to expose the post correctional stories to the
public for scrutiny.

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SENSATIONALISM AND JOURNALISM
References:
Ge, Y. (2016). Sensationalism in media discourse: A genre-based analysis of Chinese legal news
reports. Discourse & Communication, 10(1), 22-39.
James, C. (2018). CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; '60 Minutes,' Kevorkian and a Death for the
Cameras. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/23/us/critic-s-notebook-60-
minutes-kevorkian-and-a-death-for-the-cameras.html
Shapiro, E. (2018). 23 years ago, OJ Simpson was found not guilty: The key moments in his life.
Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/key-moments-oj-simpsons-life/story?
id=48724637
The Guardian. (2018). Let him die. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/dec/16/gender.uk