YELLOW JOURNALISM Yellow journalism was a product of new journalism It !

rew from t"e ri#alr$ of two late%nineteent"%centur$ media mo!uls& Josep" 'ulit(er and William Randolp" )earst& and from c"an!in! newspaper economics *"e term itself was an out!rowt" of t"e first newspaper cartoon strip called t"e +Yellow ,id&- t"at depicted a clueless $out" from t"e New Yor. tenements w"o wore a $ellow ni!"ts"irt One of )earst/s stunts was to "ire awa$ 'ulit(er/s staff& includin! t"e artist of t"e Yellow ,id Anot"er artist filled "is place and for a w"ile& New Yor. "ad two #ersions of t"e Yellow ,id& w"ose ridiculous ad#en% tures reminded people of t"e pu0lis"ers/ ri#alr$ )un!arian immi!rant Josep" 'ulit(er came to t"e United States& joined t"e arm$& and turned to journalism after t"e war In 1232 "e pulled to!et"er enou!" mone$ to mer!e two stru!!lin! St Louis newspapers into one& t"e St Louis 'ost%4ispatc"& and "e esta0lis"ed "imself as a nonpartisan social critic 0$ conductin! popular crusades a!ainst corruption and complacenc$ 'ulit(er 0ou!"t t"e New Yor. World& intendin! to pu0lis" a newspaper for t"e underdo!s in New Yor. 5it$ 6or e7ample& "e "ired Eli(a0et" 5oc"rane& .nown as Nellie 8l$& w"o 0ecame famous 0$ fei!nin! insanit$ to in#esti!ate t"e notorious 8lac.well Island insane as$lum )er stories on t"e poor con% ditions and a0use of patients prompted official in#esti!ations and impro#e% ments 9E#erett& 1::;< In anot"er instance& *"e World c"ampioned "er as s"e competed wit" '"ileas 6o!! 0$ !oin! around t"e world in less t"an 2= da$s 8ecause of its successful escapades and escalatin! circulation& *"e World 0e% came t"e paper t"at ot"ers imitated One of t"e imitators was William Randolp" )earst )earst in"erited "is famil$/s fortune and came to New Yor. 5it$ to 0u$ t"e ailin! New Yor. Jour% nal *"ere followed a dramatic war 0etween )earst/s Mornin! Journal and 'ulit(er/s World A le!endar$ e7ample of )earst/s $ellow journalism was w"en "e sent "is 0est reporter and 0est artist to co#er t"e 5u0an unrest After a wee. or so t"e$ ca0led )earst t"at t"ere was no re#olt and t"e$ were comin! "ome )is purported response was& +'lease remain You furnis" t"e pictures and I/ll furnis" t"e war Anot"er m$t" reflectin! t"e (eal of $ellow journalism was )earst/s and 'ulit(er/s spectacular co#era!e of t"e 12:2 e7plosion of t"e U S 0attles"ip Maine in t"e )a#ana "ar0or& w"ic" t"e Journal 0lamed on t"e Spanis"& alt"ou!" t"e cause of t"e e7plosion was found in later $ears to 0e a spontaneous com0ustion in t"e 0attles"ip/s ammunition ma!a(ine Man$ "istorians credit t"e Journal/s fren(ied co#era!e wit" "elpin! to pus" t"e United States into war wit" Spain o#er 5u0a and t"e '"ilippines 9Sloan& Sto#all& > Startt& 1::;< Yellow journalism was more t"an just a result of t"e competition 0etween two men 4urin! t"e 122=s and 12:=s& papers were no lon!er read onl$ 0$ t"e elite 0ut also 0$ t"e !eneral population Wit" t"is s"ift in t"e mar.et% place came a s"ift in t"e sources of income from circulation to ad#ertisin! *"e newspaper t"at sur#i#ed sold its ads and su0scriptions at t"e !reatest profit& and t"ese sales depended on t"e si(e of t"e paper/s audience *"e journalis% tic st$le t"at was used to amass a 0i!!er audience emp"asi(ed sensational p"otos and stor$ selections& lar!e "eadlines& an a0undance of personalit$ and "uman%interest stories& and sometimes e#en "oa7es and fa.e inter#iews *"e sensationalism and o#er%t"e% top stories also were a product of "ow journalists