Sensational Headlines, Engagement, and Credibility in Nepal’s Online News

Abstract

This study examines whether sensational headlines in Nepal’s online news ecosystem generate short-term audience engagement while weakening perceived credibility. A convergent cross-methods design was used. The quantitative component comprised a content analysis of 300 Facebook-posted headlines from three prominent Nepali news portals - OnlineKhabar, The Kathmandu Post, and The Himalayan Times - collected between June 15 and July 15, 2024. Headlines were coded as sensational or non-sensational using indicators of emotional language, hyperbole, provocative framing, and curiosity-gap construction. Visible Facebook engagement indicators - likes, shares, and comments - were descriptively compared across headline types. The audience component consisted of a purposive survey of 81 Nepali online news consumers on news-use habits, trust perceptions, and coping practices. Sensational headlines constituted 43% of the sampled posts, with outlet-level variation from 36% to 52%. Sensational headlines received higher mean engagement than non-sensational headlines, especially for comments; however, survey responses indicated credibility costs, including skepticism, cross-checking, and avoidance of repeatedly sensational outlets. The findings support attention-economy and platform-diffusion arguments that emotionally salient headlines can attract attention in algorithmic feeds, but they also show that repeated sensationalism may impose a long-term trust penalty. For Nepali newsrooms, sustainable digital journalism requires balancing headline visibility with accuracy, transparency, and audience trust.