Yellow Journalism example essay topic

Yellow Journalism and Mass Media 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 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 Pulitzer's only real competition 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 battels hip "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 ignite 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 band 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 it's founders live on through the journalism of today.