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BriannaKennedy

ENC1102

7April2015

SensationalismintheMedia:ARhetoricalAnalysis

ThissourceisanarticlewrittenbyDavidF.Ranshohoff,MD,andRichardM.
Ranshohoff,MDinJulyandAugustof2001.ThisarticleistitledSensationalismintheMedia:
WhenScientistsandJournalistsMayBeComplicitCollaborators.DavidF.Ranshohoffworks
fortheDepartmentofMedicineandRobertWoodJohnsonClinicalScholarsProgramandisa
ProfessorofMedicinetheUniversityofNorthCarolinaChapelHill,NC.DavidF.Ranshohoff
gothisBachelor'sdegreeinBiologyatHarvardUniversityandgothisMastersdegreein
MedicineatCaseWesternReserveUniversity.HehadaresidencyatDartmouthHitchcockin
InternalMedicineandhadtwofellowships.OneinclinicalscholarsprogramatYaleUniversity
andtheotherinGastroenterologyattheUniversityofChicago.Hisacademicinterestsinclude
mainresearchintheevaluationofscreeningtestsforcancer,withaspecialfocusonmolecular
markers.DavidF.RanshohoffisalsoanassociateeditorfortheJournaloftheNationalCancer
Institute.RichardM.RanshohoffworksattheClevelandClinicasdirectorofthe
NeuroinflammationResearchCenterintheLernerResearchInstitute.RichardM.Ranshohoff
workedasaProfessorofMolecularMedicineattheClevelandClinicLernerCollegeof
MedicineandwaspartofStaffNeurologistintheMellenCenterforMSTreatmentand
Research.HehasreceivedmanyawardsincludingaPhysiciansResearchTrainingAwardfrom

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theAmericanCancerSocietyandaClinicalInvestigatorDevelopmentAwardfromtheNational
InstituteofHealth.RichardM.RanshohoffhasalsobeencitedinBestDoctorsinAmericafor
hisexpertiseintheclinicalcareofpatientswithmultiplesclerosis.
Althoughthisarticlefocusesprimarilyonsensationalisminthemediaregardingscience
relatedsubjectsandmedicalreporting,itmakesalotofvalidandbroadpointsabout
sensationalisminthemediainageneralsenseandgivesalotofgoodexamplesthatrelateback
tothegeneralsenseofsensationalisminthemedia.RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.
Ranshohoffbeginbynotingthatagoodexplanationfortheproblemofsensationalisminthe
newsmediaismiscommunicationduetothemanydifferentstylesofscienceandjournalism.
Regardlessofwhatcausesthismiscommunicationandsensationalism,itmaypreventthepublic
frombecomingknowledgeableintheissuesthatarebeingpresentedtothem.Thetwoauthors
startofftheirarticlediscussingwhysensationalismisaproblem.Reportsinthenewsmediathat
aresensationalizedordramatizedcancreatefalsehopesandunwarrantedfearstothepublic
thatiswatching.Here,RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.Ranshohoffgiveanexampleofthis
sensationalismcausingunwantedfeartothepublicastudythatinvolvedonlyfourpatientswith
Alzheimerdisease.Thenewsletouttopicssuchasthediet,cholesterol,toxicshocksyndrome,
andbreastimplantation.Bydoingthis,thenewsmediacausedpanicandindividualchangesin
thebehaviorofthepublic.RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.Ranshohoffgiveanother
exampleofwhensensationalisminthemediaisaproblempolitics.Here,RichardM.
RanshohoffandDavidF.Ranshohoffexplainthatitiseasierforthejournalistandmore
entertainingtothepublicifthenewsmediaonly

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reportsonthepoliticianspersonalcontroversiesthantododeeperresearchonimportantand
relevantproblems.Showingthatthisarticlerelatestomyresearcheventhoughitisregarding
medicalnews,RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.RanshohoffstatedInbothpoliticsand
biomedicine,thecomplexityofaproblemmaybesacrificedtotheexpediencyofasimpleand
grippingstory.
Theauthorsthenbreakdownwhysensationalismhappens.Itisaveryinterestingthing
thatwhenitcomestopublishinginascientificjournal,oneisverycautiouswiththetonethey
usewhichmakesthereporttobeconsidereddull,butthissameresearchbeingreportedtothe
mediainthepressisjusttheopposite,theychangethewordingtomakeitmoreinteresting,thus
sensationalizingit.Theauthorsstatethatmiscommunicationbetweenprofessionalswithinboth
professions,journalismandscience,orevenmiscommunicationbetweenthetwocanbewhat
causessensationalism.Theauthorsmakethepointthatthenewsmediahasmanyconstraints
theyhavetodealwith,timeandsimplicityforviewersbeingtwoofthem,andthistakesaway
fromthecarefuldocumentationandimportancethatthescientistsworkshouldbepresented.A
journalistwilltakeahumaninterestangleinascientificstory.Forexample,amedicalresearcher
maygivethereporteranoversimplifiedversionofhisresearchandfindingsbecausethe
journalistknowsthatforpublicconsumptionitcannotbeascomplex.Thismaydistortscientific
healthrelatedinformation.
Themediaandscientistsmaybenefitfromthissensationalismcontroversythough,says
theauthors.Inajournalismpointofview,sensationalizedcontroversialstoriesareeasierto
write.Scientistscangaindirectlyfrompublicityintheresearchcommunity.Also,hospitalscan

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benefitinasimilarwayfrompublicityandhospitalsaretheplacesthatemployscientists,thus
morebenefitsforthescientists.
Theauthorsthencoverstepsthatcanbetakentodecreasesensationalism.Theysaythat
accuratecommunicationistheresponsibilityofboththenewsmediaandthescientistsor
medicalresearcher.Onewaythismiscommunicationcanbereducedistocreateaspecialgroup
ofcertifiedmedicaljournalistsorcreateagroupofpeoplewhocaninterpretscientificnews,says
RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.Ranshohoff.
Theauthorsalsoproposedthatsensationalismcanoccurwhenboththejournalistand
scientistwillbenefitfromthepublicitywithoutcausingamisleadingreport.Theyproposea
solutiontosensationalisminscientificnewsmediawouldbetocreateakindofprofessional
organizationthatregularlywritesnegativeorpositivereviewsofthescientificnewsreportsthat
air.Theysaythatinorderforthistypeofprofessionalorganizationtowork,therearemany
detailsthatneedtobeplannedout.Thisorganizationwouldneedtobehousedinarespectedand
wellknowninstitutionandmedical
professionalswouldnominatethepiecesforconsiderationinthisorganization.
ThemainargumentofthispaperwrittenbyRichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.
Ranshohoffisthatsensationalisminthescientificnewsmediacanbebeneficialundercertain
circumstancesandwithcertainrestrictions.Sensationalismcanbemainlyduetothefactthat
thereisnotpropercommunicationtakingplacebetweenscientistsandjournalists.Thepublicity
giventoscientiststhroughsensationalisminthemediacanbebeneficialtothemintheresearch
communityoftheirpeers.Therearestepsthatcanbetakentodecreasesensationalismorsteps
thatcanbetakentoreduceitbutmakeitbeneficial.Overall,RichardM.RanshohoffandDavid

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F.Ranshohoffbelievethatalittleamountofattentionmaygofartherthanotherprofessionals
thinkinhelpingprovidebettercommunicationandbalancesensationalisminthemedia.This
mayhelpkeepthepublicmoreinformedandmaymakethepublicmoreinterestedandinvolved.
Thisarticlewrittenby
RichardM.RanshohoffandDavidF.RanshohoffisasourceIwill
mostdefinitelybeusingformyresearchprojectonsensationalisminthemedia.Althoughthis
articlespecifieshowscientificnewsisaffectedbysensationalism,itgivesmanybroad
argumentsandotherexamplesthatwillbenefitmyargument.RichardM.RanshohoffandDavid
F.Ranshohoffnotonlyinformedthereaderaboutthetopicandnotonlylistedandexplained
whatsensationalismisandhowitisbad,buttheauthorsgaveexamplesonhowitcanbefixedor
improved.Iwillusemanyoftheexamplesofsensationalisminthemediathattheauthorsgave
intheirarticle.Also,IcanusealotoftheinformationthesectiontitlesHowMediaand
ScientistsMayBenefitfromControversywheretheauthorstalkedabouthowbothscientists
andjournalistscanbenefitfromtheuseofsensationalisminthenewsmediabecausemy
argumentisthatsensationalisminthenewsmediaisnotalwaysabadthing.RichardM.
RanshohoffandDavidF.Ranshohoffexplainwhytheythinksensationalismisaproblem,andI
canusethisasacounterargumenttomyargument,whichwillinturnstrengthenmyargument.
ThesectionWhySensationalismHappenswillalsobeusedinmyfinalresearchproject
becauseitwillhelptheaudienceunderstandthereasonsforsensationalisminthenewsmedia.I
canalsousetheirsuggestionsonhowtoreducesensationalismoratleastimprovetheinevitable
fromthesectiontitlesStepstoDecreaseSensationalism.

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WorkCited

Ranoshoff,Richard.Ranoshoff,David."SensationalismintheMedia:WhenScientistsand
JournalistsMayBeComplicitCollaborators."
upf
.N.p.,n.d.Web.10Apr.2016.
<http://www.upf.edu/pcstacademy/_docs/200108_ransohoff.pdf>.