The Power of Media:
American Imperialism
and the Progressive Era
Muckraker and Yellow
Journalism Blog or Newspaper
How has the media influenced change in
America?
DUE DATE: Friday, December 7, 2012
Historical Overview: The social, political and economic changes that America
experienced during the Progressive Era and the Age of Imperialism were heavily
influenced by the media. In this case, newspapers and the individuals who wrote
articles and took photographs for newspapers helped sway public opinion on a
variety of political, social, and religious problems. Journalists, also known as
muckrakers, and fiction writers brought social problems to the public's attention.
As these so-called “Progressives” gained support, they helped achieve reforms for
the poor and children and improved the education system and working conditions
for industrial workers. Progressives made changes to local governments and
reformed election rules to give citizens more power. As the United States entered
an era of expansion and imperialism, newspapers owned by Joseph Pulitzer and
William Randolph Hearst influenced the U.S.’s involvement in foreign lands
through their sensationalized, yellow press-style papers. All in all, many of the
actions that the U.S. government took at the turn of the 19th century whether it
was to become involved in the Spanish-American War or make changes in the
meatpacking industry, they were heavily influenced by the outcry of public opinion.
Thus, exposing the immense power the media has on a country’s political, social
and economic decision-making.
Purpose: This assignment has two purposes. The first is to provide you a deeper
understanding of how much of a role the media played in the United States’
government political, social and economic policymaking following the Civil War, as
it modernized and slowly grew into an industrialized world power. The second
purpose is to provide you a creative manner for you to exhibit what you have
researched and learned.
Features: Your entire newspaper or blog needs to be written and formatted in a
style that adheres to the characteristics of yellow journalism. These features
include:
1. Scare headlines in huge print, often of minor news,
2. Lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings,
3. Use of faked interviews, misleading headlines,
4. A parade of false learning from so-called experts,
5. Emphasis on full-color images, usually with comic strips
6. Dramatic sympathy with the "underdog" against the system.
Newspaper Option
The following are topics that need to be included in your blog or newspaper:
Page 1: (Creative Story) on the effect of political machines in immigrant communities of New York and Chicago.
 Story must be 150 words in length
 Must provide at least 2 images, with captions
Page 1: (News Story) Open Door Policy: Why is it important for American Expansion? What were the positives and negatives of it?
 Story must be 150 words in length
 Must provide at least 1 image, 1 map
Page 2: (Op-Ed Piece) Spanish-American War, Should American Enter War with Spain?
 Story must be 150 words in length
 Must take a side, opinion pieces are intended to expose a strong opinion generally by a lead writer and/or editor of the newspaper
 Provide at least 2 images and/or maps
Page 2: (News Story) on living conditions of immigrants during Progressive Era
 Story must be 100 words in length
 Must provide at least 3 images
Page 3: (Political Cartoons) Two Political Cartoons on Roosevelt’s Big Stick Diplomacy. Please provide captions explaining what is going on.
Page 3: (Biography) Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst and their role in influencing the American public to enter the SpanishAmerican War.
*Page 4: (Photography) Modern Muckraker. Take 3 pictures of a problem going on in your neighborhood or community. This can also be
the CHAMPS community, and write a story about it. Inspired by the actions of Jacob Riis, your goal is to expose an injustice, a wrong that
you wish to be changed.
 Story must be 100 words in length
 Must provide at least 3 images


*Page 4: (Yellow Journalism) Using examples from celebrity gossip magazines create your own sensationalized news story on a
particular modern topic that interests you. This may include a favorite celebrity, band, movie, fashion, sports team, really any
topic that interests you. However, your story must include various features that are used in yellow press stories including: scare
headlines in huge print, often of minor news, lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings, use of faked interviews, misleading
headlines, a parade of false learning from so-called experts, emphasis on full-color Sunday supplements, usually with comic strips,
dramatic sympathy with the "underdog" against the system.
Story must be 150 words in length
Must provide at least 2 images and/or cartoons
Step-by-Step Directions for Blog Option
1. Visit www.tumblr.com and create an online account. (All you need to provide is an email and a password to create an account.)
2. Begin to browse the site after you have signed into your own account. (If you have never created or used a blog before, acquaint yourself with the
many tools the website provides.)
3. Browse through the following links on your “dashboard”, including: “
PHOTO/QUOTE/LINK/CHAT/AUDIO/VIDEO (The majority of your work will done using the “Photo” icon. However, if you would like to
experiment with the other tools and icons for your blog, please feel free to do that.
4. Once you have created your account on Tumblr and have familiarized yourself a bit with the site, it’s now time to begin doing online research to
find appropriate photographs from the Progressive Era, including those by Jacob Riis. The easiest way to do this is by simply using a search engine
like Google or Bing to begin your research.
5. Your blog must have a total of 8 posts that include all the information related to the newspaper option. (See above)
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Grading Rubric/Guidelines
This assignment is worth a total of 75 points. Please make sure to review the appropriate criteria as to how your blog or newspaper will be assessed.
Review the questions below before completing your blog to make sure you have all the appropriate details needed in order to earn the best grade
possible.
_________ Historical Accuracy/Content
25 Points
 Do the pictures, research and writing you have completed answer the provided questions as they relate to the eras studied?
 Please make sure all pictures; writings are from the time period.
_________Appropriate Word Length for Stories
25 Points
 Are your writings appropriate in length
_________Following Directions and Organization
15 Points
 Do you have a creative title to your blog/newspaper? Does it include all features related to yellow journalism?
 Does your blog or newspaper include all the necessary stories?
 Do you have at least 8 posts to your blog? 4 pages to your newspaper?
_________Creativity and Design of Your Blog Layout
10 Points
 Is the layout of your blog or newspaper visually appealing? Are the pictures you posted a decent size? Does it look like you spent some time
making your assignment look unique and fun?