Real all about it! Sensational news seems to be the selling point for some media outlets. Our textbook explains that many news stories are chosen for their entertainment value rather than for their newsworthiness. It’s important for news organizations to attract large audiences in order to keep their sponsors. So they report on the stories that get America’s attention. And sensational news does just that. I thought it was interesting that the book mentions our tendencies to remember sensational events and how it can affect our outlooks. One example used was the school shootings at Columbine High and Virginia Tech. The Columbine shooting in 1999 had such an impact on America and was so sensational that when the Virginia Tech shooting occurred 7 years later it made us feel like school shootings occurred more frequently than they really do. Natural disasters, crime, celebrity gossip, etc. are often given more air time than more newsworthy stories. Interesting….
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