The Impact of Sensational News Towards Public Perception on The Malaysian News Industry

Abstract

The publication of sensational news is argued to bring harmful consequences in the long run. Going against journalistic standards, it has the tendency to form a negative public perception. However, the effectiveness of sensationalism has amplified with the aid of digital media. Therefore, this study is conducted to find out how online sensational news impacts public perception of the Malaysian news industry. Survey questionnaires were distributed to 150 Malaysian online news readers via purposive sampling. In the end, it is suggested that negative perception alone would not pose significant threats to the survival of media outlets. Still, there is a price to pay – that is the reputation and public perception of the industry itself.