Hearst and the beginning of Modern Journalism

The mid-19th Century proved to be the turning point in the history of journalism, as we know it today. America was becoming 'The New World', whereby ordinary people were given the chance to start a new, prosperous life and many Europeans began to turn their heads to this tempting prospect.

The 'Gold Rush' of San Francisco in 1849, (although this proved a false story in the main), the 'Railways Boom' throughout the 1850s, the emerging capital of the world, New York City; all of this exemplified the growing attravtiveness of the States and the wealth that could be found there. A 'North American Empire' was being born and with it, the emergence of a new, more market-driven form of journalism. Two men in particular can be credited with this.

Joseph Pulitzer was an Hungarian journalist who moved to New York, having served time in the military. The city was fast becoming the epicentre of this new-born American hope, soon labelled the richest and most powerful in the world. He himself believed in the evils of imperialsim and often cited the potential dangers of another world Empire. His main paper, the New York World, opposed such wars as that for Cuba, greatly altering American perceptions of the time. He also adopted a somewhat more human-interest approach to many of his stories, proving hugely popular against the traditionally dry predecessors.

However, Pulitzer did not have the luxury of monopolising the market. William Randolph Hearst set out to dominate the newspaper sector himself and furthered the revolution in journalism by introducing an ever more sensationalist view, along with a wider use of art and pictures and even competitions for readers, such as bingo. Such ideas had injected the market with a fresh outlook and greater impetus to sell stories to the information-hungry public. The battle for distribution and circulation was extremely competitive.

Indeed, both of these men played a hugely significant role in the tabloidization of newspapers. The legacy of Hearst, for example, is demonstrated by the common method used by journalists today, named after himself. It forms the basis for many stories that can be read in your favourite papers, consisting of two main steps. Find a story to write about, then gain sufficient evidence to prove it worthy of publication.

So the next time you pick up a copy of The Sun or Daily Star, thank two men in particular for those juicy columns...