Quantitative Content Analysis on News Media Sensationalism and Belief Formation Regarding UFOs

Summary:  View help for Summary This quantitative content analysis examined news media sensationalism and belief formation regarding unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Although substantial financial resources are dedicated to their exploration, belief remains highly variable, possibly due to how media influences perceptions. Postings on X (k = 80) and their associated comments were coded by four trained researchers and analyzed on five variables: news source, evidence type, authority figure presence, sensationalism, and belief versus skepticism reflected in the comments.  
A sample of 80 posts on X regarding UFO sightings in the top five most popular news sources were evaluated on five distinct variables: news source, type of evidence, authority figure, media sensationalism, and belief versus skepticism. The number of posts evaluated from each news source was split evenly with 20% of posts from Sky News, 20% of posts from ABC News, 20% of posts from CNN, 20% of posts from Fox News, and 20% of posts from The Washington Post. For the type of evidence presented in each of the 80 posts, 28% had no media of the UFO, 0% had audio only, 45% had a still photograph only, 5% had a video without related audio, and 23% had a video with related audio. Within the sample, 71% had an authority figure present in the post, and 29% did not have an authority figure present. Sensationalism in each post was evaluated with an average score of 3.16 (SD = 1.24). Lastly, the average belief versus skepticism score calculated from the four associated comments on each post was evaluated, with an average across all posts of 4.13 (SD = 0.51).
This study is the first to empirically compare sensationalism in news sources on X and examine tactics used to enhance belief. Limitations include reliance on a single social media platform and potential coder bias in assessing sensationalism.