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Yellow : The “fake ” of the 19th century By The Public Domain Review on 11.12.19 Word Count 955 Level MAX

Image 1. Detail from The Fin de Siècle Proprietor, an illustration featured in an 1894 issue of Puck magazine. Amid the flurry of the eager paper-clutching public, one holds a publication with the words “.” Photo from: Frederick Burr Opper/Public Domain Review.

It is perhaps not so surprising to hear that the problem of "fake news" — media outlets adopting to the point of fantasy — is nothing new. As Robert Darnton explained in the NYRB recently, the peddling of public for political gain (or simply financial profit) can be found in most periods of history dating back to antiquity. Yet it was in the late 19th-century phenomenon of "Yellow Journalism" that it first seemed to reach the widespread outcry and fever pitch of scandal familiar today. Why yellow? The reasons are not totally clear. Some sources point to the yellow ink the publications would sometimes use, though it more likely stems from the popular Yellow Kid cartoon that first ran in 's , and later 's New York Journal, the two engaged in the circulation war at the heart of the furor.

Although these days his name is somewhat synonymous with journalism of the highest standards, through association with the Pulitzer Prize established by provisions in his will, Joseph Pulitzer had a very different reputation while alive. After purchasing The New York World in 1884 and

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. rapidly increasing circulation through the publication of sensationalist stories, he earned the dubious honor of being the pioneer of . He soon had a competitor in the field when his rival William Randolph Hearst acquired the New York Journal in 1885 (originally begun by Joseph's brother Albert). The rivalry was fierce, each trying to outdo the other with ever-more sensational and salacious stories. At a meeting of prominent in 1889, Florida Daily Citizen editor Lorettus Metcalf claimed that due to their competition "the evil grew until publishers all over the country began to think that perhaps at heart the public might really prefer vulgarity."

The phenomenon can be seen to reach its most rampant heights, and most exemplary period, in the lead up to the Spanish-American War — a conflict that some dubbed "The Journal's War" due to Hearst's immense influence in stoking the fires of anti-Spanish sentiment in the United States. Much of the coverage by both The New York World and the New York Journal was tainted by unsubstantiated claims, sensationalist and outright factual errors. When the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on the evening of February 15, 1898, huge headlines in the Journal blamed Spain with no evidence at all. The phrase, "remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain," became a populist rousing call to action. The Spanish-American War began later that year.

As we've witnessed over recent weeks, from certain mouths the use of the term "fake news" has strayed from simply describing factually incorrect reporting. Likewise, would those in power paste the label of "yellow journalism" on factually correct reporting that didn't quite paint the picture they'd like? Yes, indeed. As Timeline reports, in 1925 a certain Benito Mussolini derided reports of his ill health as being lies by the "yellow press," saying the papers were "ready to stop at nothing to increase circulation and to make more money." The reports, however, turned out to be factually accurate. He'd go on to rule the country for another 18 years.

Featured below is a selection of illustrations from the wonderful Puck magazine commenting on the phenomenon, all found in the collection of the Library of Congress.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.