ISSUE 6
~
Did Yellow Journalism Cause the
Spanish-American War?
Although Spardsh rule over Cuba dated from 1511, most American presidents
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YES
W. A. Swanberg
Citizen Hearst
The Cuban Joan of Arc
The Power of the Press
The two loudest warmongers in the United States~ [William Randolph] Hearst
and [loseph] Pdii~er, were both six feet two inches tall, both millionaires who
singularly sh}n The similarity ended there. Hearst was in a perfect health, #acid
was rarely at his proud, gold-domed skyscrapen He was only occasionally at his
New York home on East Fifty-fifth Street, which was equipped with soundproof
The Fate of the Maine
Hail Thee City Born Today!
... Like Caesar and Napoleon, Hearst enjoyed power. He derived pleasure from
cont~olling masses of people, manipulating them to bring about event~ of national or international importance. Unlike Caesar mad Napoleon, the bashful
Hearst did his manipulating from behind the scenes *Mth the aid of cylinder
presses and tons of newsprint. By now, most other newspaper proprietors in
New York regarded him with aversion as a man who would do anything for
sensation, devoid of honesty or principle, a Polyphemus of propaganda who ate
his enemies and kept his Cyclops eye on circulation. They misjudged the man
by his methods. An inoarable romantic, swayed by gusts of sentiment, Hearst
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There Is No Other News
government officials blew up the Maine," and that the warship "was purposely
moved where a Spanish mine exploded by Spanish officers would destroy it."
"The Journal can stake its reputation as a war prophet on this ~ssertion: There
will be a war with Spain as certain as the sun shines unIess Spain abases herself
in the dust and voluntarily consents to the freedom of Cuba." The Spaniards
of 266 [sic] American seamen, butchered in cold blood by the Spaniards, what
is a ~blow~ in the McKinley concept of war?" it ran an imaginative drawing
SUICIDE
THE MAINE
GRIEVED OVER OUR DELAY
"How Do You Like the Journal’s War?"
World, Dana’s Sun, and the Journal, which were fed a steady diet of stories
from the Junta, the rebels’ unofficial diplomatic and publicity arm, covered
their publisher.
The first Cuban revolution against Spanish colonialism had begun in 1868,
on the sugar pIantations and economic hardship throughout the island. By the
he lay on the deck and cried. The Vamoose returned to Key West, where Heaxst
In early 1896, Spain responded to the growing insurrection in Cuba by
sending 150,000 troops to the island commanded by General Valefi ~no Weyler
had caught up with the insurgent Cuban army~ Davis was outraged. As he had
and that damn silly page of the Journal’s.... All Hearst wants is my name and
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NO / DavldNasaw
hi! eighteen-year-old "Cuban Joan of Arc, with long black hair." As Creelman
hearing of Evangelina’s plight, took command of the newsroom and b~rked out
Though Hearst tzied his best to keep Cuba on his front pages, events conspired
against him. By April of 1897, Cuba was no longer front-page news. Hearst foCrane~ Julian Ralph, two "female cor~espondenag" and a full "contingent of
his editors were left without a viable front-page story cycle. They found it in
August in Cuba where, as they reported in huge bold headlines and artfully
daughter of a jailed insurgent, had been cast into an airless dungeon for dar-
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