Shifts in Public Affairs Reporting on the Network Evening News: A Move Toward the Sensational

This study examined the shift away from traditional public affairs reporting toward sensationalism on the network evening news between 1968 and 1996. Using methods developed by Adams (1978) and extended by Slattery and Hakanen (1994), this study found an increase in the proportion of sensationalism in network newscasts over time. The study found that 1996 news content categorized as non-election public affairs coverage contained significantly higher levels of embedded sensationalism than similar content in 1968.