Question

Respond to the following based on your reading. In the fierce competition for readers, newspaper owners such as William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer pushed their writers to come up with sensationalist headlines and stories. The truth and really important issues took a back seat to topics that would cause people to buy papers. Consider this front page from Hearst’s New York Journal: How might this front page help sell the newspaper? Why would such a story and title be a disservice to the people of New York?

Answer 1

When the USS Maine exploded killing nearly three-quarters of her crew, much of Congress and a majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war.

This promised reward shows an attempt to sell newspapers taking advantage of the public´s outrage and greed.

The public pressure and the subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter partially led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898.

But in 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage, as this headline assures.

Answer 2

Sensational news was not going to solve any real,more important and pressing issues of New York,that is why such a story of $50000 reward or Maine Ship sunk etc was a disservice.

Media is considered the 4th pillar of any good democracy.The other 3 being

1. Legislature
2. Executive
3. Judiciary: has more powers among the 4 pillars.

Media of New York could have helped with social issues like unemployment,education,drinking,arms in society but they chose trivial issues like reward,Maine ship sinking etc,these news not important at all for New York society.