There are many notable examples of yellow journalism in recent years, as well as throughout history. These stories were sensationalized in broadcast and print media alike, and now in digital form as well. Show
What is Yellow Journalism and What Are The Effects of Yellow JournalismYellow Journalism is a way of publishing news in such a format that attracts a good number of readers with an aim to increase the circulation of the newspaper. This is a kind of journalism wherein the news is published without any proof. The main aim of Yellow Journalism is to gather the attention of people in society. Origin of the word/ History behind the origin:It is said that the term Yellow Journalism was first used by Erwin Wardman. He used this term to refer to the war that took place between the New York World and New York Journal. Some also argue that the term was originated from a comic strip that is believed to be published in the New York World. According to them, the main character of the comic strip used to wear a yellow-coloured shirt, hence the name Yellow Journalism. In today’s world, there is so much competition among the publications, there are times when the news has to be altered in such a way that it fits the needs and demands of the current situation. In the past also, the editors used to feel that by changing the story idea in a certain manner, it will gain some traction in the society and catch the attention of the readers, as a result of which more and more newspapers could be sold by the publication. Characteristics of Yellow Journalism:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Yellow JournalismOne of the most important disadvantages of Yellow Journalism was that no one took the onus of the lapses that used to happen while reporting the news. Also, the title of the article also had different interpretations, making it difficult for the reader to grasp the same. Talking about the advantage of Yellow Journalism, the most important newspapers in New York City, The world and The Journal saw the increase in daily sales up to 6 figures. Impact of Yellow JournalismYellow Journalism is seen to come into the picture whenever the competition arises. In today’s world, as we have advanced towards a new era and have been using technology. Even technology has not been able to change the principles of Yellow Journalism. A very common example of this is the kind of promotions that are done on television that promise the audience with a particular update on a story, which may not be the case in the actual sense. If journalism is your forte, and you wish to make a career out of it, enrol in NIMCJ, Gujarat’s leading Mass Communication and Journalism Institution!
05 Jun 2020 Post by : NIMCJ
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Publisher William Randolph Hearst, right, is interviewed by reporters, Nov. 7, 1935, on his return to "my home state of New York" due to Californian income taxes. Hearst, publisher of the New York Journal, and rival Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, are credited with the creation of yellow journalism in the late 1800s. (AP Photo, used with permission from the Associated Press) Yellow journalism usually refers to sensationalistic or biased stories that newspapers present as objective truth. Established late 19th-century journalists coined the term to belittle the unconventional techniques of their rivals. Although Eric Burns (2006) demonstrated that the press in early America could be quite raucous, yellow journalism is generally perceived to be a late 1800s phenomenon full of lore and spin, fact and fiction, tall tales, and large personalities. Yellow journalism marked by sensationalist stories, self-promotionWilliam Randolph Hearst, publisher of the New York Journal, and his arch-rival, Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, are credited with the creation of yellow journalism. Such journalism had the following characteristics:
Conservative press organized boycott against Hearst and Pulitzer newspapersThe conservative press thought these characteristics amounted to misconduct in the gathering of news and launched a boycott of both newspapers. The boycott was successful in excluding the two newspapers from the stands in the New York Public Library, social clubs, and reading rooms, but it only served to increase readership among average citizens who rarely frequented such establishments. Overall, the boycott backfired. Circulation for both newspapers increased, and Hearst purchased other newspapers and insisted on the use of the same techniques in other cities. The conservative press was itself not above printing the occasional fantastical story. Moreover, within ten years, almost every newspaper in the country began using large headlines for election day editions or illustrations and pictures to contextualize a crisis or celebration. Hearst’s and Pulitzer’s newspapers eventually declined in circulation, but not before others had copied their methods. The term 'yellow journalism' sourced to comic strip and editorialsLore has suggested that the use of a comic strip illustrated by the World’s Richard Felton Outcault entitled “The Yellow Kid” (later poached by the Journal) and used to poke fun at industry, political, and society figures, was the source of the phrase “yellow journalism.” Other sources point to a series of critical editorials by Ervin Wardman of the New York Press as coining the phrase after first attempting to stigmatize the practices as “new” and then “nude” journalism — “yellow” had the more sinister, negative connotation Wardman sought. Other editors began to use the term in their newspapers in New York, and it eventually spread to Chicago, San Francisco, and other cities by early 1897. The Yellow Kid comic strip is a possible source for the term "yellow journalism." (Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain)Supreme Court has set high bar for determining libel of public figuresAlthough modern journalistic standards are arguably as high as they have ever been, some Supreme Court decisions have allowed for criticism, especially of public figures. In Near v. Minnesota (1931), the Supreme Court set a strong presumption against prior restraint of publication, and New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) further set a high bar for public figures who thought that articles printed about them were libelous. McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission (1995) also ruled that individuals can publish anonymous criticisms of political issues, and newspapers’ use of anonymous sources is largely governed by a code of journalistic ethics. This article is originally published in 2009. Cleveland Ferguson III, J.D., D.H.L. is Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority Send Feedback on this articlePage 2
Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957) stands as the first U.S. Supreme Court case to expound upon the concept of academic freedom though some earlier cases mention it. Most constitutional academic freedom issues today revolve around professors’ speech, students’ speech, faculty’s relations to government speech, and using affirmative action in student admissions. Although academic freedom is regularly invoked as a constitutional right under the First Amendment, the Court has never specifically enumerated it as one, and judicial opinions have not developed a consistent interpretation of constitutional academic freedom or pronounced a consistent framework to analyze such claims. |