What is "Yellow Journalism"?

Published by Jimmy Oldsun, Investigative Report

My boss, Clark Kant, wrote a piece this weekend in which he used the term "yellow journalism".  Clark offered tthe following brief definition of the term:

yellow journalism
n. Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.

A number of our readers and visitors have asked us to expand upon this short definition and to explain what "yellow journalism" is and what it is not.  Clark is off working on another story, so he assigned the task to me.

Answers to some of the questions we have been asked to explain follow:

What was/is "yellow journalism"?

• The phrase "yellow journalism" is used to describe journalism that ignores real news stories in favor of sensationalized and sometimes exaggerated stories to sell more copies and more subscriptions.

Why was/is "yellow journalism" called "yellow"?

• The term "yellow journalism" comes from a 19th century cartoon which used yellow ink.  It involved sensationalism and distortion.

How did "yellow journalism" get its name?

• It came from a popular comic called "Hogan's Alley" that featured a yellow-dressed character named "the yellow kid".

What is the definition of "yellow journalism"?

• Clark gave you a very good definition.  See above.
• Here's another definition:  "Yellow journalism", in short, is biased opinion masquerading as objective fact.  Moreover, the practice of "yellow journalism" involved sensationalism, distorted stories, and misleading images for the sole purpose of boosting newspaper sales and exciting publicity.

Why was/is "yellow journalism" used?

• To "Smear" the opposition. To exaggerate news stories and to "attract and hook" readers by enraging them. 

Who was most famous for using "yellow journalism"?

• Joseph Pulitzer or Randolph Hearst were both guilty of "yellow journalism", however Randolph Hearst exploited its use to cause the Spanish-American war.
• As newspapers began to compete more and more with one another to increase circulation and obtain more advertising revenue, a different type of journalism was developed by publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.  In the mid-1890s, Pulitzer (in the New York World) and Hearst (in the San Francisco Examiner and later the New York Morning Journal) transformed newspapers with sensational and scandalous news coverage, the use of drawings and the inclusion of more features such as comic strips.  After Pulitzer began publishing color comic sections that included a strip entitled "The Yellow Kid" (right) in early 1896, this type of paper was labeled "yellow journalism." Drawn by R.F. Outcault, the popular (if now-unfunny) strip became a prize in the struggle between Pulitzer and Hearst in the New York newspaper wars. Outcault moved the strip to Hearst's papers after nine months, where it competed with a Pulitzer-sponsored version of itself.  "The Yellow Kid" proved the first merchandising phenomenon of the comics. The character was portrayed in keychains and collector cards, appeared on stage and even had a short-lived magazine named after him.  The papers themselves trumpeted their concern for the "people." At the same time, yellow journalists choked up the news channels on which the common people depended with shrieking, gaudy, sensation-loving, devil-may-care kinds of journalism. This turned the high drama of life into a cheap melodrama and led to stories being twisted into the forms best suited for sales by the hollering newsboy.

What does "yellow journalism" mean today?

• "Yellow press" was a term applied to the popular, frankly imperialistic newspapers of New York City, circa 1890s. Today, "yellow journalism" refers to lurid publications that emphasize the sensational side of news stories in order to attract readers.  Modern day examples include the tabloid news magazines, many online news websites, and arguably many of the so-called cable news talk shows.

What are some examples of "yellow journalism" today?

• Actually, the line between "yellow" and "mainstream" is pretty blurred these days, but gossip magazines, "tabloid" papers available in MOST markets/discount stores, etc. would be considered examples of "yellow" journalism.  This is generally ANY type of publication depending on innuendo, unverified information, and other things that if the person covered were NOT a politician or celebrity of some kind would be of interest only to their doctor, lawyer, or spouse, and/or would never make it into print outside of a biography of that person.

I hope this addresses all the questions our readers have asked.  If we can answer any more of your questions, don't hesitate to ask them.

Jimmy Oldsun
Investigative Reporter
www.hermannhearsay.blogspot.com