"If it bleeds, it leads" (Matthew Kerbel)

Definition: This quote is part of the title of Matthew R. Kerbel's novel If it bleeds, it leads: An Anatomy of Television News and refers to the news media trend of displaying grotesque news preferentially over less eye-catching material.

Example: Local news channels focusing on violent and gruesome news stories first to captivate the attention of their audiences. Leading stories often involve vehicle accidents, shootings, and deaths.

Screenshot of "Most Recent News Stories" on azfamily.com website

Image credit: "Most Recent News Stories" azfamily.com. Web. 5 February 2016. 

From the text:
In their article From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the "Violence" of Seattle Kevin DeLuca and Jennifer Peeples reference Matthew Kerbel's novel If It Bleeds it Leads: An Anatomy of Television News on page 193. The purpose of this reference was to agree with Kerbel's sentiment that "The news is attracted to disturbers of order and deviation from routine" (DeLuca and Peeples, 193). DeLuca and Peeples regard "symbolic protest violence and uncivil disobedience" (DeLuca and Peeples, 193) as an example of the type of news items that news stations prefer to discuss first.

Works Cited: 
DeLuca, Michael and Jennifer Peeples. "From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the "Violence" of Seattle." Readings on the Rhetoric of Social Protest. By Charles E. Morris III and Stephen H. Brown. 3rd ed. 183-203. Desire 2 Learn. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. 

Kerbel, Matthew R. If it Bleeds, It Leads: An Anatomy of Television News. Westview Press, 2001. Web Images. 5 Feb. 2016