Language intensity as a sensationalistic news feature

This article extends the definition of sensationalism to print media and argues that the use of intensifiers may be an aspect of sensationalism. In addition, this paper states that a perception of sensationalism is a mediating state which may be induced by the use of sensationalistic message features. In two between-subjects experiments, these claims are investigated for positively and negatively framed news articles. Both experiments support the hypothesis that intensifiers can increase perceived language intensity. In the first experiment, intensifiers had a negative effect on appreciation of the news article, which was not influenced by perceived language intensity. In the second experiment, positive indirect effects of intensifiers x perceived language intensity on newsworthiness and the attitude towards the article were found. No framing effects were observed.