Yellow Journalism

 Yellow Journalism and Fake News - Video Reflection

Today it is called "fake news" but in the 19th century it was Yellow Journalism, and while the name may have changed the preposterous reporting style is still the same. The idea of fabricating news stories, or even elements of one, is something I will never truly get, yet in the modern landscape, it is very prevalent. 

After watching the video, "Fake News?!? A history of Yellow Journalism" it is clear that this style of reporting goes back far into history. One of the earliest cases is in 1898 when William Randal Hurst decided to try and get "the scoop" on his competitor Joseph Pulitzer by writing a story on the Cuban war by including a staged rescue of Evangeline Cisneros and exaggeration of the conflict in Cuba. This example is actually the reason this style of reporting was given the name "Yello Journalism" because the ink that was used in the printing of these stories was in fact yellow. 

In the modern age, examples of yellow journalism can be found all around - two exceptional examples would be the tabloids and youtube. Clickbait titles ranging from salacious commentary about celebrities or milking tragedies pull people into stories that are either incredibly exaggerated or just simply not true. 

Tabloids are notorious for coming up with bizarre headlines in hopes of catching people off guard. A simple google search pulls up countless crazy examples, many of which have been compiled into  convenient lists like "The Greatest Tabloid Headlines Ever" and "The 25 Most Ridiculous Tabloid Headlines Of All Time". 

Now, you may be asking "What is so harmful about Yellow Journalism and Fake News," and there are many reasons - the most basic being it is simply immoral. Lying about deaths or scandals of celebrities or fabricating events, for example, how "extremely bad" the conditions of war are, can ruin people's lives. 

If you're looking for an example of how destructive fake news truly can be, you don't need to look much further than #Pizzagate. Below is a video from CNN which breaks down how a fake news story almost led to a deadly shooting.

The video "Fake News?!? A history of Yellow Journalism" also touches on the fact the reporters have lost their jobs for reporting on fake news, but then there are reporters like Nancy Grace who take these exaggerated stories and build a name for themselves off of it. 

Yellow Journalism has been around for centuries and it doesn't appear to be a trend going out of style. That is why it is so important that the next generation of a journalist be educated on the subject and work hard, to be honest reporters.