Sensationalism in local Tv news: A content analysis comparing ratings and non-ratings periods

Sensationalism in journalism has been a topic of debate for centuries. Many critics charge that, in general, sensationalism dominates television news over public affairs reporting. However, a gap remains in the literature regarding whether there is an increase in sensationalism during ratings periods over non-ratings periods. This study examined the amounts of sensationalism/human interest stories and local public affairs reporting during those two periods. This study examined the four major local television news stations in Las Vegas: KVBC, KVVU, KLAS, and KTNV. Eight hypotheses were tested. The hypotheses posited that when comparing ratings periods to non-ratings periods, there would be more news time devoted to sensationalism and human interest stories, there would be more embedded sensationalism, and that sensational stories would appear earlier in newscasts