The death of traditional journalism has been predicted for over a century now, so some may feel that people are overreacting to what is really an evolution in the media. Many claim news media has become increasingly sensationalized, biased and lacking in significance for the better part of a century. However, others have seen websites and Facebook pages like Buzzfeed and Now This, which are prime examples of why the future may be depressingly grim.

Content as devoid of meaning or significance as Buzzfeed’s clickbait lists, meaningless reaction videos, or Now This’ attempt at covering news by forcing an opinion on its viewers are quickly replacing real journalism. By extent, this is making people less informed, which could potentially explain the rise of politically polarity and sensationalist candidates.

While the internet allows this type of media to quickly spread, the real cause is Cable News. When a channel like CNN or Fox News is forced to spend 24 hours discussing the few significant events at the time, sensationalism and nonstop repetition is inevitable. Unfortunately, solely blaming these media outlets is not fair, should the consumer not choose intelligent media on their own?
If people supported true journalism, sensationalism would die, but without a conscious effort against cheap journalism, people will become increasingly polarized and less informed.