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Article Evaluation
SENSATIONALISM

(Add this part to “In Mass Media” Section)

Another example of adding the suffix “-gate” to further sell a story came in 2015. The “Deflategate” Scandal in the NFL dominated headlines in major sports broadcasting headlines. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was accused of deflating footballs to create an unfair advantage after defeating the Indianapolis Colts by a large deficit on January 18th, 2015. What seemed like a relatively innocent incident turned into a month long court case that would not reach a decision until September of 2015. The court case consisted of Tom Brady and the National Football Players Association v. commissioner Roger Goodell and the National Football League Management Council. Brady was attempting to show that Goodell was acting out of his jurisdiction by placing a four game suspension on Brady. Brady eventually won the case and the suspension was lifted. However, this case was then reviewed in 2016, and Brady’s suspension was upheld after he decided to no longer fight the ruling. Rule changes were then made regarding game management, especially in terms of ball management. This court case seems miniscule in relation to other major cases throughout history, especially ones such as Watergate, but was a major news story for months because it was over hyped and promoted across several media platforms.

Sources: LaFleur, Zachary J. "National Football League Management Council V. National Football League Players Association: Deflategate Reviewed." Case Western Reserve Law Review, vol. 66, no. 2, Winter2015, pp. 639-655. EBSCOhost, libproxy.boisestate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=114060255&site=ehost-live.

DiLisi, Gregory A. and Richard A. Rarick. "Bouncing Back from "Deflategate." Physics Teacher, vol. 53, no. 6, Sept. 2015, pp. 341-346. EBSCOhost, libproxy.boisestate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=109056147&site=ehost-live.

Rhodan, Maya. "Chris Christie Says Hype over Tom Brady and Deflategate Is ‘Overblown’." Time.Com, 12 May 2015. EBSCOhost, libproxy.boisestate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=102615039&site=ehost-live.

White, Daniel. "Tom Brady Ends Fight to Appeal Deflategate Suspension." Time.Com, 19 July 2016, p. 1. EBSCOhost, libproxy.boisestate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=116919747&site=ehost-live.

https://operations.nfl.com/the-game/gameday-behind-the-scenes/nfl-game-ball-procedures/

(Add this to “History” Section)

On September 3rd, 1950, a headline ran on the front page of the People of Sunday that read ‘Arrest these four men they are emperors of an empire of vice’. The article detailed the activities of the four Messina brothers, brothel owners that had been operating in London for over a decade. The author, Duncan Webb, continued his efforts against the brothers with headlines such as ‘Messina gang women flout the police’ and claims that he was attacked in a taxi by supporters of the Messinas. Webb’s articles joined a growing number of sensational stories centered around prostitution in London.

This trend was spreading to other topics in the media, as more sensational titles were being used to draw the attentions of an ever widening readership. Matt Houlbrook and Sarah Newman summarized that as more people began to read newspapers, competition between journalists and their papers led to the ‘commodification’ of the news. This meant an increase in human interest pieces, as well as reporting on social issues and an increased use of images. The sensational coverage of sexual matters played a pivotal role in encouraging these changes.

This coverage of prostitution in the media helped establish the Wolfenden Committee. The recommendations of the committee transformed into law, establishing the Street Offenses Act of 1959. The news stories are credited with creating a moral panic, as they painted the prostitutes and those affiliated with them as a public threat. This image was promoted by prominent members of the community, such as journalists and community leaders, and politicians were encouraged to find a solution to the problem.

Laite, Julia. "Justifiable Sensationalism." Media History, vol. 20, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 126-145. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13688804.2014.898896.