Comm455/History of Journalism

  Donald Trump. By now he is arguably the most popular man in America — next to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, that is. Well what exactly does that say about America? Donald Trump has made his claim to wealth and fame through his various real estate ventures and by way of media. However, this American […]

New York City in 1897 was the center of American journalism.  That center culminated namely between the two newspaper moguls, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Hearst and Pulitzer were consumed in a  constant media war fueled by sensationalism and reflected in yellow journalism.  Current events fell subject as feeders to the tabloid war.  One […]

Feminism has earned a bad rep over the years, and sensationalism in advertising has not helped. Although we would like to believe that we have achieved gender equality, our past and our present prove otherwise. Look at this 1950s ad. Clearly the focal point is not the projector. “Far from natural looking, [her breasts] jut […]

During the 16th century, pamphlet readers were exposed to a variety of content. This news often affected the readers themselves, or large groups of people elsewhere. One of the primary topics covered in this “developing news market” was natural disasters and other natural phenomena. The instinctual fear and curiosity about the unknown would drive these […]

Sensationalism has manifested in multiple forms of journalism over time.  In the 1830s, there were the penny papers.  In the 1880s and 1890s, it shown through in the yellow journals.  In the 1920s, tabloids became dominant in sensationalist use. Each of these forms of journalism utilized sensationalistic tactics to cater to and draw their audiences […]

The Cable News Network, or CNN as it is colloquially known is an American cable and satellite news channel owned by the Turner Broadcasting System. Founded in 1980, the network is known for being the first ever 24-hour news channel. CNN has centers in New York City, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, but primarily broadcasts […]

  Sensationalism has existed as long as sex and conflict. Today, we see the media sensationalizing all kinds of stories, from Anthony Weiner’s scandal to Kim Kardashian’s wedding photos. Unfortunately, it seems sensationalism in the media has gotten to a point of nausea. While there is a plethora of exaggeration and silliness, sensationalism does serve […]

Yellow Journalism was born in the late nineteenth century out of the competition between publishing moguls Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Competition between the two came to a peak when Hearst hired the Cartoonist Richard F. Outcault away from Pulitzer after Outcault’s popular cartoon “Hogan’s Alley” boost Pulitzer’s sales.  Outcault’s most popular character from […]

When most Americans hear the word “tabloid” they automatically associate it with entertainment journalism and the ferocity of which we pounce on celebrity gossip. However, entertainment journalism is not what has fueled the history of the tabloid.  Tabloids originated in as a unique form of British journalism.  Utilizing sensationalism, British tabloids focus on breaking hard news […]

The American press underwent big changes during the 1830s that led to the establishment of the mother of sensationalism, the penny press. Unlike their six-cent predecessors, these papers sold for merely a penny. The New York Sun became the first penny paper and soon had largest circulation of any paper in the city. News was […]

Donald Trump recently released a public address in which he asked for Obama’s education records in exchange for a $5 million dollar charitable donation. Can we really say we’re surprised? Donald Trump has yet again slithered himself into our countries’ political discourse. At one point last year he even flirted with the idea of running […]

With all the media coverage telling us that Hurricane Sandy is going to reak havock on the East Coast there is one question to wonder about. Really? Will Sandy really cause so much damage as the media says it will? There’s no way to tell but one thing is for sure. This hurricane is being […]