NRJ Books: Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the Myths, Defining the Legacies

Abstract

Journalism: Puncturing the Myths, Defining the Legacies, by W. Joseph Campbell (Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2003), 209 pages.As the author rightly points out, the term journalism is alive and well today, more than 100 years after it was coined. The connotations associated with the use of the word are also quite clear-sensationalized and irresponsible news reporting.Campbell's book seeks to be the definitive work about journalism, from debunking myths that have been perpetuated for decades to identifying the lasting impact of the over-the-top reporting style of the yellow journals. In large part, Campbell achieves his goal by applying classic historical methods and content analysis to the available about journalism.Campbell first takes on the origin of the term journalism, surmising from meticulous research that the term first appeared in the New York Press in January 1897 and was directly associated with the Hearst-Pulitzer rivalry over the cartoon character the Yellow Kid. One myth down, three to go.The assumption that the journals appealed primarily to the lowbrow audiences of the late 1800s and early 1900s is the next myth to fall. Cleverly using urban demographic data to compare the cities where journalism flourished to where it did not, Campbell writes: characterize journalism as appealing principally or exclusively to downscale readers not only is elitist: It misrepresents the broad appeal of the genre.... Two myths down, two to go.The final two debunked myths relate to the same topic: The SpanishAmerican War. First, the famous telegram allegedly sent from William Randolph Hearst to artist Frederic S. Remington after Remington asked to return home because all was quiet in Cuba. Hearst, so the story goes, replied: Please remain. You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war. Campbell, in almost excruciating detail, attacks the source (James Creelman) and identifies dispatches printed in the New York Journal at the time that suggest the contrary. Campbell concludes that the story deserves relegation to the closet of historical imprecision. To attack the myth that the journals played a large role in the United States getting involved in the Spanish American War, Campbell looked at the content of the journals and researched the writings of key figures in the McKinley administration. Again, he found no evidence that the SpanishAmerican War was greatly influenced by the press newspapers. …