Journalism and its Yellow Kids
New York Newspaper Men and the Birth of Yellow Journalism
Aug 25, 2009
Yellow Journalism is a phrase that has become commonplace in the English language. It was coined in the late 19th Century to describe the journalistic practices of newspaper tycoons such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst; yet the impact of its meaning has stretched into the 21st Century.
Newspapers were once the primary source of information media available to the public. By the 1890s, technological advancements made during the Industrial Revolution had given newspaper publishers the ability to print multiple pages at an incredibly fast rate. As a result, they could circulate news media on a daily basis, thus being able to turn over both stories and profits as quickly as the presses turned over paper and ink.
Kids, Colors, Alleys and Ink
In 1894, cartoonist Robert Outcault, who many consider to be the father of Sunday comics, was hired by Joseph Pultizer’s New York World. He created the strip Hogan’s Alley for the publication, in which appeared a character known as the Yellow Kid. Outcault possessed the innate ability to comprehend the streets of New York, and then convey a creative, humorous perspective to the adult-oriented newspaper readers. Comics such as Hogan’s Alley were beacons leading toward the 20th Century, providing appealing, marketable characters that people could simultaneously identify with and laugh at.
In the spirit of capitalistic competition, William Randolph Hearst, Pulitzer’s business adversary, essentially bought Outcault and the Yellow Kid for his publication the New York Journal. By offering the cartoonist a larger salary than had Pulitzer, Hearst secured his investment. Pulitzer eventually followed up Outcault’s departure by hiring George B. Luks to continue drawing the Yellow Kid for the New York World. Supposedly, Hearst and Pulitzer brought the fight for the character to court, but there are no existing records to confirm this myth.
The dueling magnates did not just battle on the cartoon front – they were perpetually engaged in a circulation conflict with one another. Each sought to gain more readers than the other, and as a result, both New York newspapers often fabricated words and images. Such behavior garnered the papers nicknames such as “The Yellow Papers,” which in turn derived the term Yellow Journalism. When reflecting upon this particular aspect of media history, the sinking of U.S. naval ship The Maine is often referenced.
Extra! Extra!
In 1898, The Maine, a second-class battleship, and the aforementioned nautical casualty, had been docked at the port of Havana, Cuba. After she had been struck, the drowning vessel emitted terrifying, roaring sounds. As the metal of the ship split, smoke poured into the blackness of night. Nearby ships sent out lifeboats to help the crew of The Maine. A written account of the disaster was recorded by Captain Charles D. Sigsbee, who had to reluctantly abandon his ship as it sank into the harbor. According to Smplanet.com, Sigsbee stated that “Chief among them were the boats from Alfonso XII. The Spanish officers did all that humanity and gallantry could compass.”
Pulitzer and Hearst chose to present interpretations of the account quite differently. They said things that slandered the Spanish, and grossly exaggerated headlines, as a means of promoting newspaper sales. Circulation competition had provoked a battle between two countries four years after the initial Yellow Kid skirmish.
Legacy
Is Yellow Journalism still in practice today? Many commentators do express what can be considered as “biased opinion masquerading as objective fact.” There are, though, plenty of active correspondents attempting to convey the news in a fair, impartial manner, relaying what they perceive without swinging arguments in one particular direction or another. Reporters are gateways to populations all over the world. By maintaining an ethical purpose and delivery, it can be assured that everyone is being supported.
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