Yellow Journalism

Yellow journalism follows the act of writing with a new representation of the truth. The term yellow journalism came from a new kind of writing presented in The New York World, run by Joseph Pulitzer and The New York Journal, run by William Randolph Hearst. The phrase began as “new journalism” and “nude journalism” then changed to “yellow-kid journalism” and later was shortened to just “yellow journalism” (The Yellow Kid). This kind of journalism created dramatic events to draw people into the story.

As newspaper’s grew in success and numbers, popularity for yellow journalism began in the 1890s during the Spanish-American War. Hearst and Pulitzer used “melodrama, romance, and hyperbole to sell millions of newspapers” (Yellow Journalism). Middle class artist, R.F. Outcault, drew the icon for yellow journalism: the Yellow Kid. He was clad with “his jug ears, two buck teeth, beady blue eyes, and yellow nightdress”. The Yellow Kid was embraced by his readers during the time when America was under turmoil. The middle class seemed to relate to this comic strip more than any other (The Yellow Kid).

Newspapers used yellow journalism to add edge to their writing. Along with the sale of the Yellow Kid comic, which accounted for an increase of newspapers sold (U.S. Diplomacy). Originally working for Pulitzer and the New York World, Outcault was able to point out “serious problems with tenement life and class divisions”. The Kid was able to widely relate to his readers (The Yellow Kid).

The Yellow Kid allowed Outcault to create what is widely known as the first comic strip, but that isn’t really the case. He took tools from other artists and incorporated him in his own work. Some of his most original work is having the Kid’s thoughts “pri...

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...rs to stay a float. Yellow journalism began with a war and will not go down without a fight.

Works Cited

Schuster, Justin. "Yellow Journalism of the 21st Century." The Politic. N.p., 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. .

"U.S. Diplomacy and Yellow Journalism, 1895–1898 - 1866–1898 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." U.S. Diplomacy and Yellow Journalism, 1895–1898 - 1866–1898 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .

"Yellow Journalism." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. .

"The Yellow Kid on the Paper Stage: Introduction." The Yellow Kid on the Paper Stage: Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. .