Sensationalism and "Yellow Journalism":
* Exaggerated headlines and stories: Both publishers used large, attention-grabbing headlines and dramatic, often untrue stories to attract readers.
* Focusing on human interest and crime: They covered sensational stories like crime, scandals, and disasters, often embellishing the facts for dramatic effect.
* Using illustrations and comics: They employed eye-catching illustrations and comic strips, like the "Yellow Kid," which gave the term "Yellow Journalism" its name.
Using Investigative Reporting:
* Exposing corruption and injustice: While often exaggerated, their newspapers also exposed corruption in government and industry, which was seen as a positive side to their aggressive approach.
* Fighting for social causes: Both supported causes like social reforms and labor rights, often through their newspapers.
Price Wars and Circulation Battles:
* Lowering prices to attract readers: Both publishers lowered the prices of their newspapers to make them more accessible to a wider audience.
* Offering free gifts and prizes: They offered incentives like free gifts and prizes to encourage subscriptions and attract new readers.
Publicity and "The Greatest Show on Earth":
* Promoting themselves and their newspapers: They used publicity stunts and self-promotion to create a public image and generate buzz.
* Using their newspapers as political platforms: They used their newspapers to promote their own political agendas and influence public opinion.
Impact of Their Competition:
* Rise of mass media: Their competition helped to create a mass media market with newspapers becoming more accessible and influential.
* Influence on modern journalism: While their tactics were often unethical, their emphasis on human interest and investigative reporting influenced the development of modern journalism.
* Fueling the Spanish-American War: Their sensationalistic coverage of the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, often exaggerating events, is believed to have contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.
Ethical Concerns:
* Sensationalism and distortion of truth: Their focus on sensationalism often led to the distortion of facts and the publication of false or exaggerated information.
* Invasion of privacy and unethical reporting: Their aggressive reporting tactics often crossed ethical boundaries, leading to the invasion of privacy and the exploitation of individuals.
Conclusion:
The rivalry between Hearst and Pulitzer was a pivotal moment in the history of journalism. While their competition led to the development of mass media and the use of investigative reporting, it also raised ethical concerns about sensationalism and the manipulation of information. Their competition, although unethical in many ways, ultimately shaped the landscape of modern media and journalism.