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Hearst vs. Pulitzer -- The Newspaper War Headline: "The Big Type War of the Yellow Kids"
Both Hearst and Pulitzer perceived the impending war with Spain as the
perfect subject matter to exploit. American patriotism was high and there
was great interest in the events happening in Cuba. Hearst took special
interest in the war, going so far as to personally edit all of the related
stories. Likewise, Pulitzer ordered his journalists to stretch and distort
the news. He chose to run stories which elaborated the most sordid, and
violent details. Hearst and Pulitzer both dispatched journalists to cover
the Cuban rebellion and the ensuing war. The reports that came back were
often spun into hyperbolic stories, playing upon the fears and loyalties
of the American public. |
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or years before the Spanish/American War, William Randolph Hearst and
Joseph Pulitzer had been fighting a battle for readership in the streets
of New York City. By 1896, when Hearst arrived in New York to run his newspaper,
The New York Journal, Pulitzer was enjoying great financial success by
employing sensational reporting techniques that provided mass appeal. Hearst,
not to be outdone, adopted similar tactics of yellow journalism to increase
the circulation of his newspaper in an attempt to beat Pulitzer at his
own game. In another aggressive tact, Hearst lured away journalists from
Pulitzer's New York World by offering them unprecedented salaries. He also
enticed some of the most talented nationally-known artists, cartoonists
and writers (including Ambrose Bierce and Mark Twain) to bolster readership
of the Journal. But even these costly efforts did not afford him the success
he desired.|
Yellow Journalism & the Spanish/ American War |
Journalists in Cuba |
The Publishing War Between Hearst & Pulitzer |
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The Production |
Spanish/American War Background |
Role of Yellow Journalism |