Assignment : Mass Media & Communication : Yellow Journalism

 Yellow Journalism 

Abstract :

In this 21st century journalism became more and more important because of this post-truth era and social media. There are a lot of platforms available for the audience to know about the ongoing situation. But to find out the truth in the lies of the sea is very difficult. Because the media works for political parties and powerful people. Frequently tied to a political context, post-truth has become the buzzword of the 21st century. In fact, it was Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2016 which explained it as an adjective “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” The media plays an important role in building and maintaining the post-truth world, which is why some believe journalists have fallen at the bottom of the ladder, on a par with politicians, in terms of public trust. So this is how Yellow Journalism emerged in Media. So the present paper tries to find out the several factors which affect Yellow Journalism. And also what are the sources which are helpful to increase Yellow Journalism. 

Key words :

Media, Politics, Yellow Journalism

Research Objective :-

• To find out what exactly the Yellow Journalism was. 

• Try to analyze the history and meaning of Yellow Journalism.

• How Yellow Journalism Works in media.

•  Is this a fair process of Journalism ?

• How Yellow Journalism is supported by power and politics.

• What is yellow journalism in India?

• To discuss several examples of yellow journalism.

• How Yellow Journalism in the time of pandemic.

Yellow Journalism :

Meaning of Yellow Journalism :

Joseph Campbell describes " Yellow press newspapers as having daily multi-column front-page headlines covering a variety of topics, such as sports and scandal, using bold layouts,  heavy reliance on unnamed sources, and unabashed self-promotion. The term was extensively used to describe certain major New York City newspapers around 1900 as they battled for circulation. One aspect of yellow journalism was a surge in sensationalized crime reporting to boost sales and excite public opinion."

The term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion. ( Shirley Biagi )

           The newspaper reports are written in an exaggerated way in order to shock the readers. Yellow journalism is the style of newspaper reporting that emphasizes sensationalism over facts. 

          Also Campbell is talking about the origin of yellow journalism. The term was coined by Erwin Wardman, the editor of the New York Press. Wardman was the first to publish the term but there is evidence that expressions such as "yellow journalism" and "school of yellow kid journalism" were already used by newsmen of that time. Wardman never defined the term exactly. Possibly it was a mutation from earlier slander where Wardman twisted "new journalism" into "nude journalism"

          There is also how Yellow Journalism works in the time of war and other critical situations.   Historian Emily Erickson states:

Serious historians have dismissed the telegram story as unlikely. ... The hubris contained in this supposed telegram, however, does reflect the spirit of unabashed self-promotion that was a hallmark of the yellow press and of Hearst in particular.

Frank Mott said that there were five things that made up yellow journalism:

1. headlines in huge print that were meant to scare people, often of news that wasn't very important.

2. using many pictures or drawings

3. using fake interviews, headlines that didn't tell the whole truth, pseudoscience (fake science), and false information from people who said they were experts

4. full-color parts of the newspaper on Sundays, usually with comic strips 

5. taking the side of the "underdog" against the system.

          These five things we can observe in day to day life also. Whenever we read newspapers or watch or listen to any news channels we find almost the same results of journalism. The only difference now is that fake news is far more shareable thanks to online media and requires far fewer resources to produce and disseminate. Research has shown fake news travel six times faster compared to fact-based news.

          Journalism is one of the most respectable professions the world over. To be able to report and present topics and organise debates around a wide range of subjects is not everybody’s cup of tea. Nowadays in the more recent context, ‘fake news’ would become such a disease for the whole society. It is no less than a kind of cancer that makes sure to destroy the brain’s comprehension capabilities.

Example of Yellow Journalism :

        Many more examples of yellow journalism have been seen in tabloid headlines over the years, as well as other publications. Catchy headlines can be great as long as they're accurate and not overly sensationalized.

• Titanic Survivors Found Onboard

• Dick Cheney is a Robot 

• -When he goes to the hospital, it's to get his circuits rewired

      -    Severed Leg Hops to Hospital

• Hubby's Bad Breath Kills His Wife

• Vampires Attack US Troops

• Half-Man Half-Dog Baffles Doctors

• Alien Bible Found, They Worship Oprah

• Man's 174-mph Sneeze Blows Wife's Hair Off

• Teen's Hair Changes Color … With her Mood!

• Supreme Court Judges are Naked Under Robes!

• Chain-smoker Kicks 30-year Habit … Then Chokes to Death on Wad of Nicotine Gum!

• Dolphin Grows Human Arms

• Man Gives Birth to a Healthy Baby Boy

• Abraham Lincoln was a Woman

• Jesus Action Figure Heals the Sick

• Half of U.S. hookers are space aliens - and they don't have sex organs!

• Man makes $60,000 a year as human lawn jockey

• Nazi UFOs to Attack U.S.

• Snake with Human Head Found in Arkansas

• News Reporter Eaten Alive by 80-Ft Dinosaur

• Man's Head Explodes in Barber's Chair

• Is Your Cat from Mars? ( This example from the Mary White)

             In an era of sensationalism when most of the rationality, sensibility and sanity has gone down the drain, battling with trash journalism of many websites, journals and news channels must be taken seriously and should be a responsibility to correct ourselves and others who fall prey to such pieces of information. Somehow we all have stopped listening to the other side of the stories to get a balanced view.

Conclusion :

            Thus Yellow Journalism is dangerous for society because as we know, fake news spreads faster than facts. If we are talking about the advantages of Yellow Journalism, the most important newspapers in New York City, The world and The Journal saw an increase in daily sales up to 6 figures. One of the disadvantages of Yellow Journalism is, this journalism wasn't often truthful, causing the public to be grossly uneducated and unaware of reliability.

Work Cited :-

Biagi, Shirley. Media Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media, (2011) p 56.

Campbell, W. Joseph. Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the myths, defining the legacies, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, pp. 156–160. ISBN 0-275-96686-0.

Campbell, W. Joseph. Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the myths, defining the legacies, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001, pp. 32–33, ISBN 0-275-98113-4.

 Erickson, Emily. "Spanish–American War and the Press," in Stephen L. Vaughn, ed, (2007), Encyclopedia of American Journalism, Routledge, pp. 494–95. ISBN 9781135880200.

Mott, Frank Luther. American Journalism. Routledge/Thoemmes Press, 2000.

“Oxford Word of the Year 2016.” Oxford Languages, languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/2016/.

White, Mary Gormandy. “Examples of Yellow Journalism in History and Today.” Example Articles & Resources, examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-yellow-journalism.html.

                

Thank you.....