Yellow Journalism And Mass Media Essay Example For Students

Yellow Journalism And Mass Media Essay Word Count: 569 It is the news that informs us of the events that change our lives and entertains us when we are seeking something to do. Journalism has been the staple of American life for quite some time and will probably keep the same effect for years to come. Journalism has also changed many lives in American History. Furthermore, I leave you with my essay on the the hype of the early ninteen hundreds; the infamous Yellow Press. Basically, Yellow Journalism was the given name to mass media in the early eighteenth century. It consisted of cartoons, illustrations, catchy stories, and things that appealed to the readers interests and values(Mass Media 1). Sometimes the contents were fraudulent and emphasized tragedies. These types of contents sold papers in great volumes and created a large profit for such papers as the New York World and the Journal.(Century 168) The owner of the New York Journal and the overall founder of yellow journalism itself was of the name Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer immigrated to the United States from Hungary(Pulitzer 1). Early on in his career he worked as a reporter where he picked up most of his journalism skills. Later on, Pulitzer purchased the New York World. At the time the World was not very successful, but Pulitzer managed to turn it into one of the most successful papers in New York. He managed to make his paper successful by using the many yellow techniques mentioned before. Some people thought these methods were immoral and scandalous(Century 166-172). Velez 2 Pulitzers only real competiton was from a man by the name of William Hearst. Hearst owned the paper by the name The Journal. The Journal was also highly successful. Harsh competition took place between the two papers(Century 172). The major break or turning point in the sensationalism movement was the sinking of the battelship Maine. Soon after the tragedy, the yellow press had a war scare on Spain . For example, the scare- head technique where they would post something to catch the readers eye such a the word massacre or other graphic words that would ingnite the publics interest. As many as five or six publications daily were out relating to the supposed war against Spain. Vicious competition between Hearst and Pulitzer took place over stories. As a result of the need for stories to keep the public interested fraudulent stories developed and outraged many people(Yellow Kid 2). As far as the the publics feeling towards the yellow press they did not take kindly to it. Many people wrote letters to editors complaining on the falsities and other problems. The newspapers and magazines were baned from several respectable places. Among the places that the publications were banned included; libraries, schools, reading rooms, and clubs. The reason people sought to rid of the publications were because of their trashy content and their falsities(Yellow Kid 5). Although the actual origin of the term Yellow Press is still unknown, whether it be the color of the paper or the many cartoons written about the publications including the yellow character the press made a significant impact on society(Yellow Kid 3). The press brought more jobs into the publishing Velez 3 industry and brought a new style to the world of journalism. Although the publications did not go over well with most of the public, they made millions of dollars in profit(Century 167). So may the legacy of the mass media and its founders live on through the journalism of today. Category: History .