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Feature
The front page of the New York Journal and Advertiser is shown.
The paper is from February 17, 1989 and the headlines are as follows:
Inside the masthead of the paper is the headline “$50,000 Reward. Who Destroyed the Maine? $50,000 Reward.” Under the newspaper masthead, the main headline, “Destruction of the War Ship Maine was the Work of an Enemy,” stretches across the entire paper. Under the main headline, printed on both sides of the paper, is the identical sub-headline “50,000 Reward! For the Detection of the Perpetrator of the Maine Outrage!” Under each of these sub-headlines is an article but the print is so small, the reader cannot make it out. In the middle, under the masthead, and between the two identical sub-headings it the additional subheading, “Assistant Secretary Roosevelt Convinced the Explosion was not as Accident.” This is followed with the information “The Journal offers $50,000 Reward for the Conviction of Criminals Who Sent 258 American Sailors to Their Death. Naval Officers Unanimous that the Ship was Destroyed on Purpose.”
Question
Using the image of the front page and the knowledge you attained from the lesson, identify the headlines that could be described as yellow journalism and explain how these headlines and their stories might have played a major role in U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War.
The headlines that could be described as yellow journalism in this front page are the main headline "Destruction of the War Ship Maine was the Work of an Enemy" and the sub-headline "50,000 Reward! For the Detection of the Perpetrator of the Maine Outrage!" These sensationalized and dramatic headlines were meant to grab the reader's attention and provoke emotional reactions.
Yellow journalism played a major role in shaping public opinion and rallying support for the U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War. By framing the sinking of the USS Maine as a deliberate attack by an enemy, the newspapers fueled anti-Spanish sentiment and created a sense of outrage among the American population. The $50,000 reward offered for the conviction of the criminals who destroyed the ship also added a sense of urgency and importance to the story.
The biased and exaggerated reporting of yellow journalism helped drum up support for the war, as the public was more inclined to believe that the Spanish were responsible for the destruction of the Maine and the deaths of American sailors. This ultimately led to the U.S. declaring war on Spain in 1898.