feeding frenzy

American  

noun

1. Slang. a ruthless attack on or exploitation of someone especially by the media.

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feeding frenzy British  

noun

1. a phenomenon in which aquatic predators, esp sharks, become so excited when eating that they attack each other

2. a period of intense excitement over or interest in a person or thing

   the media erupt into a feeding frenzy

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Etymology

Origin of feeding frenzy

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

As the Norwegian press accused foreign media of “feasting on the chaos,” the start of the Olympics ushered in an outright feeding frenzy.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We found that the chaotic conditions that existed in the early Universe triggered early, smaller black holes to grow into the super-massive black holes we see later following a feeding frenzy which devoured material all around them," says Daxal Mehta, a PhD candidate in Maynooth University's Department of Physics and lead author of the study.

From Science Daily

Over the past 30 years, the Beckhams have navigated a media landscape that has morphed from a tabloid feeding frenzy into a social media free-for-all, so the instinct to protect their image is perhaps understandable.

From BBC

“Feeding frenzy” and “character assassination” were terms tossed about later, but with Joanna MIA and the investigation continuing, very little concern was expressed for Mr. Jefferies.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was a coordinated corporate feeding frenzy.

From MarketWatch