From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsensationalismsen‧sa‧tion‧al‧is‧m /senˈseɪʃənəlɪzəm/ noun [uncountable] SHOCKa way of reporting events or stories that makes them seem as strange, exciting, or shocking as possible – used to show disapproval —sensationalist adjective
Examples from the Corpus
sensationalism• It smacks of both sensationalism and trivialisation.• The culture of the country is increasingly enrolled in the junk cults of celebrity, sensationalism and gossip.• It is an interesting topic but unfortunately this particular author abandons scholarship in the interests of sensationalism.• Already one began to hear the nickname Suicide Langford; but that was either sour grapes or silly sensationalism. 