Prior to the beginning of the Spanish American War rival journalists Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst used the news to portray the Spanish as negatively as possible in Cuba and beyond, helping to whip Americans into a frenzy over General Weyler's treatment of rebel Cubans and the sinking of the USS Maine. To what extent do you think their yellow journalism was responsible for starting the Spanish American War? Do you think journalists have a responsibility to deliver the public "the truth", or is okay to exaggerate to sell papers? Be sure to explain your responses and respond to a classmate by Monday, March 15.
34 Comments
Ashley C.
3/10/2010 03:19:45 am
I think all journalism is responsible in a way for the outcome of a situation. Without televison and many other technological conviences of our day journalism is all the citizens had to rely on for information back then. So I think the yellow journalism is very responsible for the Spanish American War. I think that newspapers do have the responsibility of telling "the truth" for all those not in the loop, it keeps our country a democracy. By having everyone informed about the issues at hand we can think for ourselves and not think in the way the govenment wants to relay the information to us. It is hard for me to pick sides on the exaggeration issue. Now a days people do not read papers like they used to. Newspapers now have to compete with the news channels and computer information logs. Without stretching the truth a bit they're papers wouldn't always be worth reading. To stay with the growing times I do think they have to exaggerate to a certain extent to keep up. They just need to be careful about what they exaggerate and when.
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Molly G
3/12/2010 06:14:12 am
Hearst and Pulitzer’s Yellow Journalism had a major affect in starting the Spanish American War. For example, in 1898, Hearst’s Journal published an article that caused Dupuy de Lome to resign. As the Spanish minister in Washington, if he had not resigned, he may have had an influence in Washington that may have shaped the outcome of the war and America’s involvement in it differently. Also, when these journalists reported false stories about the Maine, it caused a major switch in Americans’ opinions for war. The government mainly listens to its people and therefore, if most Americans supported war, due to the yellow journalism they read, the government would also have this same opinion. Journalists should publish truth, but numerous times they don’t. Americans should have a solid and trustworthy source to obtain information from, unlike Hearst and Pulitzers reports during this time.
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Molly G
3/12/2010 06:23:04 am
Ashley makes a good point in saying that Journalism was the only way Americans obtained information during this time period. If we get our information from the same place, it is hard not to believe that source, because we are only hearing one side of the story. Americans during this time had no choice in how they received news. Since all they read was “yellow journalism,” it played a huge part in their opinions toward war, therefore, casing the government to also have the same opinion toward war.
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Taylor D.
3/12/2010 10:20:45 pm
I think that yellow journalism did have a huge impact on the Spanish American War. I don't think that you can totally blame journalism for the war, the government wanted to be involved in everything. We have always felt the need that we were the dominant nation and that we have the best system of government too. I think that we also had the same mentality that we had when we first became an independent nation. The idea of mercantilism and the more land we had symbolized more power. Yellow journalism made more people involved in the war and blew things that were going on in war, out of proportions.
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Ashley C
3/13/2010 06:12:36 am
I agree with Taylor when she said that Yellow journalism got more people involved cauising stories and facts to be blown out of proportion. The more people the more ways a fact can be turned into a rumor and the more mouths to spread that rumor like wild fire.
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Taylor D.
3/14/2010 08:19:33 am
I agree with Molly when she says that the false stories totally switched the viewpoints of the Americans about the war. It's crazy how fast one article, or rumor, can raise people's emotions and get them involved in something they wouldn't normally be involved in. It's also crazy how one story creates so many issues and so much drama. I think Wilson was in a very tough spot knowing that there was yellow journalism going on and seeing his entire nation wanting war based on extreme exaggerations. I agree that the people should run the government, that's what democracy is, however Wilson was the president.
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Paige L.
3/14/2010 09:57:50 am
To what extent do you think their yellow journalism was responsible for starting the Spanish American War? Do you think journalists have a responsibility to deliver the public "the truth", or is okay to exaggerate to sell papers?
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Bobby C.
3/14/2010 10:44:48 am
I think yellow journalism is greatly responsible for starting the Spanish-American War. This was the only thing that the public was hearing about how the Spanish were treating Americans and the Cuban rebels even though it was greatly exaggerated. Being the only thing the public was hearing, this was how the war frenzy was started. Journalists should report the truth and not exaggerate since this was how the Spanish-American War was started.
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Ryan H.
3/14/2010 10:49:37 am
Yellow journalism had a huge impact on the Spanish American War. Presidents do not want to make the people angry, and if they don't want to intervene, then the president does not. Yellow journalism changed the peoples' mind. When the peole want war, then the president will do so.
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Ryan H.
3/14/2010 11:02:08 am
I agree with Paige. The people have the right to the truth, and notthing but the truth. Not telling the truth can cause problems. Yellow journalism is lying to the entire nation. Lying in this case causes huge problems.
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Amberleigh V.
3/14/2010 11:05:15 am
Yellow journalism did play an active role in the Spanish American War. With newspapers being a form of entertainment, it was easy for the word to get around quickly. Juicy stories caught people’s attention and so they kept reading and reading what the journalists were feeding them. Innocent civilians had no idea that what they were reading was not necessarily true. With the papers being read, it definitely prepped the Americans for war.
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Amberleigh V.
3/14/2010 11:09:39 am
I agree with Paige when saying that yellow journalism gets people worked up and sometimes angry. I just want to add to my blog and hers that not ALL things can be reported to the public. Sometimes it is better to keep some things secret, because the truth is what we want, but if a lie is told to keep order and peace for our country, maybe it’s better that we don’t know.
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Sarah
3/14/2010 11:18:30 am
I think that the yellow journalism used prior to the Spanish-American War probably helped start the war. People all over the U.S. read the negative stories about the Spanish and could have taken them very seriously. If it was in the news, then they were bound to believe it; if it was exaggerated to instill fear and anger, then it probably worked. Personally, I think that journalists should have the responsibility to tell the truth in their stories. It's really wrong to spread lies to thousands or millions of readers. If it's news it really should be the truth.
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Sarah
3/14/2010 11:21:47 am
I agree with Ashley, that journalism contributes to the outcome of almost any situation. The information people get from the news is used to shape their opinion about that issue. In turn, their opinions will affect decision-making in that situation, depending on how they react to it.
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Bobby C.
3/14/2010 11:52:32 am
I agree with Sarah, if that was the only thing that the news were reporting in an exaggerated way, then that was probably what most people believed was happening.
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Ted S.
3/14/2010 12:13:36 pm
Journalism and the Media always effect what the United States does internally and externally. There is no doubt that the yellow journalism of this era helped sparked the spanish american war by infuriating the American people. I understand that part of our nation's greatness is that we have the right to make our own living, but journalists also have a responsibility to give the people the truth. This is especially true considering that there was limited media in this time
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Ted S.
3/14/2010 12:18:41 pm
I agree with Sarah that it's wrong to spread lies to thousands of people
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Zain B
3/14/2010 01:39:24 pm
I do think yellow journalism played a large part in our involvement in the Spanish American war. While this wasn't the only reason, economic and political gains being examples of others, it did push the public to lean towards war and support the government in their effort. This was the peoples only reliable means of attaining information of the outside world and so they had no real choice but to trust it. I think journalist should be required to show a completely unbiased and blunt truth so that the public can feel and understand the real weight of a situation. Censoring news diverges from the truth and gives people the wrong idea, by showing exactly what happens the public would be better informed and prepared for making a decision on the matter.
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Zain B
3/14/2010 01:44:47 pm
I agree with Amber, journalists done even have to lie to in a way exaggerate the truth. cheap ploys like the one Amber mention like changing a statistic to a percentage plays on ignorance. News should be delivered in the most understandable way portraying exactly what was recorded, if the reporter asked 10 people about abortion they should only be allowed to reference 10 people, not skew it into some crazy statistic.
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Paige L
3/15/2010 02:18:56 am
I agree with Sarah in saying that if it's in the news it should be the truth. People don't want to read exaggerated stories just to get worked up over nothing. People want the truth so they are updated on what is really happening in the world.
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Brian W
3/15/2010 09:48:38 am
The yellow journalism of Heart and Randolph played a major role in the Spanish-American War. They fictionally represented the occurrences in Cuba and what happened to sink the USS Maine creating pressure from the citizens for the president to declare war. By manipulating the public through false stories they were able to create the desire for war.
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Brian W
3/15/2010 09:53:05 am
I agree with Molly that the journalist published false stories that lead the government to make the decision of war. I also think that the papers do not have the right to write what they want to sell paper (though that is what they do). Newspapers are listed under entertainment resources, like tv news.
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Craig J
3/15/2010 12:18:18 pm
I think the yellow journalism was one of the main reasons for the Spanish-American War. It wasn't proven that the Spanish sunk the USS Maine, but the people thought the Spanish did. The US was enraged, politicians didnt have much of a choice to go against they majority of the countries voice. I do think journalists have a responsibility to tell the truth. This way, rumors are few and far between because articles would only state the cold hard facts. On that note, tabloids should be done away with completely.
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Craig J
3/15/2010 12:21:47 pm
Amber makes a really gooed point about how journalists make small numbers into percentages to make a small event seem larger than it is. 5 out of ten becomes 50%, even though both are the same, they are viewed very differently.
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Brianna
3/15/2010 12:31:46 pm
I don't really think that the journalist had a lot to do with starting the war basically because the American people don't call war the American government does. In which case i hope our government knew what was truth and lie or exaggeration of the papers....because if not we have a problem. As for journalist I do believe that they have a responsibility to tell the truth to the public. I mean after all, that is their job...
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Brianna
3/15/2010 12:33:07 pm
I agree with Ashley is saying that yellow journalism had something to do with the out come of the war, yes.
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Austin B
3/15/2010 01:00:43 pm
Yellow Journalism was a major catalyst in the development of the Spanish-American War. Not only were the fabrications made by the Dynamic Yellow Duo just sensational hoo-hah, they moved America to an emotional reaction that was completely unnecessary. We were supporting a war that should never have happened, and maybe would not have happened had there been no false reports made by two lazy journalists.
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Austin B
3/15/2010 01:02:32 pm
I agree with Ashley on this one, she understands that the media will play a major role in anything it involves itself in.
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Muma
3/15/2010 01:19:54 pm
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Muma
3/15/2010 01:23:01 pm
Sorry about that up there...
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Muma
3/15/2010 01:24:48 pm
I agree with Bobby. The truth should be the number one objective in reporting. That keeps frenzies from being started over nothingness and it keeps the public in check.
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Morgan P
3/16/2010 11:55:30 am
Yellow journalism had a huge impact on starting the Spanish-American War, this is because the things they printed on the newspapers were blown way out of proportion and the readers believe all of those things were really happening over there and they became angry and wanted them to pay for what was happening. I believe if they would have told the truth this war would have never would had happen.
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Morgan P
3/16/2010 11:59:36 am
I did not see the second part of the question, but I think it should be the reporters responsibility to deliver the truth to the citizens and not exaggerate at all because then people start to assume things and overreact to things that are not true.
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Morgan P
3/16/2010 12:03:43 pm
I agree with Ashley when she said that it was the main cause of the war because the people read that and they got ready to fight in a war that should not have ever happened.
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