Journalistic standards of this time were less focused on facts and more concerned with selling copies and generating profits. Led by newspaper magnates William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, the journalism of this decade employed “melodrama, romance, and hyperbole,” according to PBS, to generate profits quickly.

Similar to today’s “clickbait” titles, yellow journalism involved moving, heart-tugging headlines and descriptive, exaggerated stories. Papers such as the New York Evening Journal and the New York World published articles describing the horrifying abuses that Cubans suffered under Spanish control. After the sinking of the USS Maine in the Havana Harbor in February 1898, yellow journalism headlines quickly pointed the finger at Spain, even though to this day, the cause of the sinking cannot be definitively proven.

Yellow journalism serves as an example of how, just like factual and verified reporting can cause change, unfactual and unverified reporting can also create action. Ultimately, due to yellow journalism, public opinion was so strongly opposed to Spain that President McKinley had no choice but to declare war, leading to the Spanish-American War.

The Muckrakers (early 1900s)

The early 1900s were a period when food safety, labor standards, and working conditions were often unregulated. “Muckraker” journalists, as they were known, conducted in-depth investigative work into these issues, exposing corporate greed, unsafe working conditions, questionable food preparation methods, and political corruption.

Muckrakers like Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, and Upton Sinclair opened the eyes of the public to the injustices happening in urban America. Outraged, the public recognized a need for change and elected a Progressive president in Theodore Roosevelt, who enabled legislation for “trust-busting,” clean and sanitary working conditions, and moral politics.

Yellow Journalism (1890s)

Journalism in History

How has journalism affected the way we think?

Historically, journalism has been used to catalyze movements, push for reform, and hold those in power accountable. Nonetheless, irresponsible journalism can also influence public opinion and lead to change. Below is a timeline of cases in American history where journalism had a significant impact.

The Civil Rights Movement (1950s-60s)

Injustices plagued the United States throughout the 1900s during the Jim Crow Era against African Americans, who found themselves segregated and treated differently from white Americans. However, most Americans’ awareness of these injustices was limited as segregation and discriminatory laws morphed into everyday life.

Emmett Till’s murder may very well have been one of the first widely-known and widely-circulated cases in America where the general public was made aware of atrocities against African Americans. Largely due in part to Moses Simon and Simeon Booker, two journalists for the Tri-State Defender and JET Magazine, respectively, there emerged a level of national interest and horror relating to Till’s murder. Booker attended Till’s funeral with photographer David Jackson, who snapped the harrowing image of Till’s body in its coffin. JET Magazine’s inclusion of the photo in their reporting is a testament to how the element of shock can contribute to journalistic outreach and increase the viewership of underrepresented stories.

The Watergate Scandal (1972-1974)

It all started in the wee hours of June 17, 1972, when a night security guard at the Watergate Complex (home of the Democratic National Convention’s headquarters) noticed the suspicious placement of tape on the latches of some doors, which allowed them to appear closed while remaining unlocked. Upon calling the police, five burglars were apprehended and arrested on the complex's premises.

In the following days, various news outlets reported that four of the five burglars were “Cuban freedom fighters,” while one of the burglars was a Republican Party aide. As federal and local investigators dug into the burglary, it was soon quickly discovered that this was not just a small crew of criminals looking to make a quick buck—but a series of complex chains that eventually led to one person—Republican president Richard Nixon.

Armed by details from a confidential informant known as “Deep Throat,”—who would later be revealed to be former Deputy Director of the FBI Mark Felt, two journalists for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, made it their life’s duty to uncover the complete truth. With Felt’s assistance, Woodward and Bernstein definitively disclosed in an October 10, 1972 story that Nixon’s closest aides orchestrated the Watergate break-in in an attempt to diminish Nixon’s political opponents.

Even in the face of criticism from the White House and the government, including White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler, who questioned the validity, methods, and motive of their journalism, Woodward and Bernstein firmly stood their ground and continued to uncover the infamous scheme. Their work is a tremendous example of the core foundations of investigative journalism and how persistence can create genuine change in the face of obstacles.

The #MeToo Movement (2017-present)

It was a poorly kept secret within the Hollywood industry that young female actors should stay away from certain male directors, producers, and executives who were known to make sexual advances. Moreover, if one of these influential individuals made advances on you, you would keep your mouth shut and stay silent if you wanted your career to remain intact. However, no matter how poorly kept it was, it was still a secret.

That is, it was still a secret until October 2017, when three journalists, Jodi Kantor, Meghan Twohey, and Ronan Farrow, detailed the experiences of sexual violence that dozens of women had undergone at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, a prominent film producer. Farrow had initially approached NBC with the story and later on, asserted that NBC opted not to publish the story because of Weinstein’s relationship with NBC executives. At the same time, other journalists have noted that Farrow’s story may not have met NBC’s requirements for journalistic proof. Nevertheless, Weinstein actively attempted to stop and suppress the widespread media coverage of his sex crimes by hiring a team of investigators who surveyed and stalked the women who accused Weinstein and even followed Farrow with tracking technology.

Ultimately, Weinstein was charged and convicted on charges of sex crimes in both New York and Los Angeles and is currently serving a 23-year sentence. However, the most significant impact of Kantor, Twohey, and Farrow’s journalism is the encouragement and inspiration that many women felt after seeing people with similar experiences being exemplified. Alyssa Milano, an actress and activist, went to Twitter shortly after the stories concerning Weinstein were published and asked those who had experienced sexual violence to respond to her post with the hashtag #MeToo. Within 20 minutes, over ten thousand individuals had responded.

Primarily in part due to the three journalists’ original reporting, a worldwide movement against the suppression of sexual violence victims emerged, and numerous public figures’ sins and misdeeds have been revealed, even to this day. Perpetrators of the violence and their affiliates will go to any length to kill a story- but in the end, words on a story are permanent, and nothing can erase them.

The Importance of Journalism