From the PBS documentary Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War. Please visit site for related links.
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The Spanish-American War is often referred to as the first “media war.” During the 1890s, journalism that sensationalizedâ€â€and sometimes even manufacturedâ€â€dramatic events was a powerful force that helped propel the United States into war with Spain. Led by newspaper owners William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, journalism of the 1890s used melodrama, romance, and hyperbole to sell millions of newspapers–a style that became known as yellow journalism.
The term yellow journalism came from a popular New York World comic called “Hogan’s Alley,” which featured a yellow-dressed character named the “the yellow kid.” Determined to compete with Pulitzer’s World in every way, rival New York Journal owner William Randolph Hearst copied Pulitzer’s sensationalist style and even hired “Hogan’s Alley” artist R.F. Outcault away from the World. In response, Pulitzer commissioned another cartoonist to create a second yellow kid. Soon, the sensationalist press of the 1890s became a competition between the “yellow kids,” and the journalistic style was coined “yellow journalism.”
Yellow journals like the New York Journal and the New York World relied on sensationalist headlines to sell newspapers. William Randolph Hearst understood that a war with Cuba would not only sell his papers, but also move him into a position of national prominence. From Cuba, Hearst’s star reporters wrote stories designed to tug at the heartstrings of Americans. Horrific tales described the situation in Cuba–female prisoners, executions, valiant rebels fighting, and starving women and children figured in many of the stories that filled the newspapers. But it was the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor that gave Hearst his big story–war. After the sinking of the Maine, the Hearst newspapers, with no evidence, unequivocally blamed the Spanish, and soon U.S. public opinion demanded intervention.
Today, historians point to the Spanish-American War as the first press-driven war. Although it may be an exaggeration to claim that Hearst and the other yellow journalists started the war, it is fair to say that the press fueled the public’s passion for war. Without sensational headlines and stories about Cuban affairs, the mood for Cuban intervention may have been very different. At the dawn of the twentieth century, the United States emerged as a world power, and the U.S. press proved its influence.
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Yellow Journalism still exists today. Here are two recent examples:
Newsweek
I think we can all say that we have heard quite an earful of the whole Newsweek fiasco (I tend to shy away from stories like this because of the overkill on the issue). However, when I came across this piece this morning, my frustration with the firestorm caused by Newsweek grew even more. For me,this is not just about big media versus little media (however you wish to define it), this is more about family and people that I know and you know currently in the middle east facing the brunt of some idiot’s bias in the comfortable surroundings of an office —SAFE WITHIN AMERICA’S BORDERS–THE SAME BORDERS OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE DYING TO PROTECT!!
The first cover is the International version. The second is the Japanese edition. Finally, the last cover is the US edition–ALL DATED FEBRUARY 2005!!
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With Newsweek still reeling from its forced retraction of the Quran-in-the-toilet story, the magazine is now under fire for publishing what some see as staunchly anti-American covers in foreign editions.
For instance, while a Japanese edition of Newsweek dated Feb. 2 published a cover story featuring an American flag in a trash can under the headline, “The day America died,” and the international edition featured a photo of President Bush with the headline, “America Leads … But Is Anyone Following?,” the U.S. edition cover story was an “Oscar Confidential” featuring Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The cover story in the foreign editions, titled, “Dream on, America,” about what Newsweek characterized as “the world’s rejection of the American way of life,” did not run in the U.S. edition of the magazine.
…Both the Japanese and international editions featured cover stories by Andrew Moravcsik. But that piece did not run in the U.S. edition…more
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I guess Americans are too dumb to understand Moravcsik’s contention with the US.
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Redding News Review (Black media)
http://www.reddingnewsreview.com
When I first heard about this site last year, it didn’t take long for me to make it one of my favorites because it was just straight news and very little commentary. For the most part, the articles pretty much highlighted happenings within the black community. The feature that drew me to this site was the fact that it was updated everyday (unlike most black news websites that are updated once a week or more). I don’t know what happened in recent months, but Robert “Rob” Redding Jr. (editor) has taken a sad and familiar turn in reporting the news. Below is a sampling of the headlines highlighted on his site today :
*Black lesbian sues Apple (bolded and in large letters)
*Boeing, engineer reach settlement in age discrimination lawsuit
*Fox still refuses to apologize (bolded and in large letters)
*School Apologizes for ‘Black Girl’ Yearbook Mistake (large letters only)
*Berkeley Law Would Ban Slavery
*CA: Profanity, racism undermine paper’s reader bulletin board
*Racial Switch Halts ‘Huck Finn’ Production
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This is very mild compared to most days. As of today, what started as a very good idea has turned into the “911″ hotline for racism and injustice incidents. Aren’t we doing more in the world than ducking and dodging Jim Crow?
The point I am making here is quite simple. Feeding black readers a constant stream of news/information that solely deals with injustice and racism fosters a victim mindset. This is why the only time you will see black Americans fully engaged in the political process in this country is when it is made into a racial issue. A more recent example of this is the illegal immigration issue and President Fox’s remarks. Both Conservatives and Liberals have known this for years and have used it for their advantage.
Media outlets know that if they can sensationalize a story enough, they can get the emotional reaction that they are looking for. Mind you, this is not being done in the name of some vast political agenda, but to sell more units. It’s all about the money!!
