Post #4: EOTO #1 Reaction

Out of all of the presentations given in class, the topic of the Penny Press and yellow journalism sparked my interest the most.

The Penny Press

The Penny Press was a type of inexpensive newspaper invented in 1883 by Benjamin Henry Day. Day was a printer from New England in his twenty's and shortly after the invention of the Penny Press, began to use new-steam powered printing press that produced the paper faster. The newspaper focused on sensational stories, human interest pieces, local news, crime, scandals, and general gossip. It was only sold by subscription and not by typical advertising in order to reach a bigger audience. The paper only costed one cent, quite literally emphasizing the inexpensiveness and making it extremely affordable to the average person and not just the wealthy. 

The Penny Press was usually sold directly on the street by newsboys ranging from ages six to sixteen years old. Most of these boys were either homeless or poor and was the only source of income for themselves and their families. In addition to this, the tactic was also a way for the newspaper sales to increase in popularity and money. 

Yellow Journalism

On the other hand, yellow journalism is a style of reporting that valued sensationalism and emotions over facts. Many newspapers would push propaganda and twist the news so that it would intentionally invoke a certain reaction in people. Yellow journalism, as discussed in my blog post about William Randolph Hearst, started when him and Joseph Pulitzer were competing for readership using yellow journalism, even if the information wasn't accurate. The feud later resulted in increased pressure on the U.S., Spain, and Cuba to go into the Spanish-American War.

 In today's world, there are many instances of the term although it isn't necessarily referred to as yellow journalism. Many media and news organizations continue to use certain headlines to attract a particular audience, even including specific words to keep the reader engaged. Nowadays, bias has slowly snuck its way into almost every article. The term "misinformation" is commonly portrayed in the news stories when companies report false rumors or lies to the public. It seems as if most organizations place more importance on the number of views than being ethical with the accurate coverage of a story.