Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media . The term is meant to critique the media, usually negatively, by comparing it to the spectacle and pageantry of a circus, and is considered an idiom as opposed to a literal observation. Usage of the term in this sense became common in the 1970s.