yellow journalism

noun

: news reporting that features sensational or scandalous items or ordinary news sensationally distorted

By the late 1890s and into the early 1900s, editors and managers sought methods to improve and increase readership. Yellow journalism was rampant. This style of newspaper reporting prioritized sensationalism, exaggeration and emotional appeal over facts.

—Mark Rountree

And, unlike the 1890s when there were still papers engaging in serious journalism, today's yellow journalism is ubiquitous across the media consumed by the majority of Americans.

—Thom Hartmann

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above