A Growing Trend of Sensationalism
 
By Mary Agidi
 
“Crisis looms,” “Tension in Ondo,” “Breaking!” even when nothing breaks, “fear grips,” “residents panicked,” “confusion in…,” “pandemonium,” among other sensitive headlines, are becoming regular content across the current digital media space. The rate at which sensationalised and conflict-promoting headlines capable of escalating issues beyond their real occurrence appear has begun to generate serious concern among news readers in Nigeria.
 
Although, in journalism training, bad news is often assumed to be good news, this applies only to the genuine occurrence of unpleasant events. Unlike now, when “Breaking News” is used to announce the passage of an annual budget, or “crisis looms” is used to describe a peaceful protest.
 
Efforts to Strengthen Ethical Practice
 
For a decade or more, several media training organisations and institutions have been working relentlessly to empower journalists in Nigeria on ethical practice, including the need to avoid escalating conflict through misleading or conflicting headlines. Organisations such as the International Press Centre, International Media Society, Media Rights Agenda, Media Career Development Network, among others, have organised professional trainings and continue to engage Nigerian journalists on how best to promote a peaceful society using their professional tools.
 
Trainings and retraining opportunities are expected to enhance performance, expose beneficiaries to acceptable norms, and remind them of their professional responsibilities, thereby bringing about the desired impact. Conversely, the situation in today’s journalism space has been beclouded by the desperation to gain online traffic and followers, rather than adhering to the ethics and purpose of the profession through accurate headline usage and avoidance of sensationalism.
 
Although technological advancement has strengthened digital journalism and made it possible for many people to embrace the profession—with or without professional qualifications or experience—this ease comes with consequences. Nowadays, even in Ondo State, it is not unusual to see a certified medical doctor competing with journalists to belong to the media space by creating a news website and publishing news items.
 
A Flooded and Porous Profession
 
Journalism has become a profession that is easy to gatecrash and highly porous since it revolves around information dissemination, which is accessible to anyone fluent in the official language of the society. This reality has allowed every “dick and Harry” to leverage free-to-use digital technology to invade the field.
 
Regardless of the growing presence of gatecrashers who lack professional knowledge and training, it is disheartening and disappointing to see trained and supposedly experienced journalists using their platforms to fuel conflict and crisis and to promote disunity in society among warring parties due to personal sentiments and biases.
 
What the Experts Say
 
In his contribution, the Founder of the Media Career Development Network in Nigeria, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, opined that although there are worrisome situations in the country, it is unprofessional for journalists to use sensational headlines solely to attract readers’ attention to their platforms.
 
“Many of the stories with sensational headlines are not of the magnitude to be described as such. Many platforms are guilty of inflaming the situation in the country through their sensational headlines,” he added.
 
According to him, there is an increasing level of negative news avoidance due to such reports, as readers are getting tired of them. “What they are doing is mostly click-baiting to lure readers to read their reports, and it is wrong,” he noted.
 
His submission aligns with research conducted among American news readers, which revealed that about four in ten Americans avoid reading the news due to the frequent promotion of only bad occurrences.
 
The Rise of Solutions Journalism
 
According to the report—presented during a training programme titled “Engage Audiences With Rigorous and Compelling Reporting on What’s Working” as part of the Advancing Democracy series by the Solutions Journalism Network—the consistent promotion of negative occurrences fuels audience fatigue with negativity.
 
This trend has strengthened the call to embrace Solutions Journalism, which focuses on promoting responses provided by individuals, groups, or organisations to identified societal problems rather than constantly inflaming the atmosphere with negative content.
 
Since frequent reports on “what is not working” gradually erode the public’s trust and belief in governance, weaken hope, and contribute to emotional distress, the fact remains that there are still things “working” but receiving insufficient attention in the media space.
 
This is why Solutions Journalism advocacy continues to spread globally—to limit emotional and mental distress caused by consistent exposure to negative news. Embracing Solutions Journalism can counter this audience fatigue by highlighting credible responses to challenges while still acknowledging the issues themselves.
 
Balancing Accountability and Responsibility
 
In a journalistic course titled “Shifting Democracies Reporting,” championed by the Global Press Institute, journalists are advised to engage in reporting that builds trust and informs communities without “fueling polarisation.”
 
Even though journalists have the duty to hold authorities accountable, such responsibility must be carried out without bias or personal perspectives.
 
“As journalists, the truth remains that we will always have our perspectives about people, systems, or events because we are human. However, by simply maintaining ethical standards and embracing credibility, integrity, and transparency, we can help shape society by using our professional tools to amplify the plight of the masses and hold those in authority accountable without bias,” says Cristi Hegranes, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Press Institute.