Sensational story that’s p-petrifying (5,8)
I believe the answer is:
penny dreadful
'sensational story' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to communication as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for penny dreadful that I've seen before include "Melodramatic paperback novel" , "old comic?" , "Junior relation of the shilling shocker?" , "worthless novel" , "Cheap, sensational novel" .)