YES!

Yes news sensationalism absolutely does hurt news credibility.

For me it makes me feel as if they don't think the story has legs to stand on it's own. So they have to sensationalize it and make it seem sexier than it actually is. Well if they don't think the story is good enough to stand behind and stand on it's own then how good is it? It makes me as a viewer think I'm watching something that the journalist can't even get behind.

And in a lot of cases it isn't warranted and makes mundane stories that shouldn't matter, like Terrell Owens sitting out of practice, into something totally huge. It's like they turn a molehill into a mountain! I can't stand it and it really needs to end.

News sensationalism I think is anytime they take a story and just completely overblow it or enhance one small part of the story that's not even important and try to turn it into something bigger than it is. It happens all the time.