Yellow Journalism and Propaganda

[janekat]

Yellow Journalism...
The article that was recently posted titled "Wilson: I made up the Rove Leak Allegation" and the other article that was posted along with it are quite fascinating to me as someone who learned about it in journalism 101.

I'm kind of excited because it's the first time I've seen such an "obvious" and "sleazy" case of "Yellow Journalism" in "modern times" in a "news story" for reasons of political propaganda.

It's scary that a "widely read" publication such as Newsmax would stoop this low - and they should be called on it. This is the sort of thing that you only usually see in cheap tabloids, etc.

These articles could be shown in journalism schools as a textbook example of a certain type of "yellow journalism" and you have to read the entire article carefully to notice the "trick" they are playing with you.

For people who don't know what I mean: The journalist writes a "leading" and/or "sensationalistic" headline that doesn't really portray what is actually IN the article. You do this in order to propagandize or to sell newspapers.

Often, there might be a kernel of truth to in the article OR the headline it but the wording is twisted in such a way as to "fool" the reader.

http://www.pbs.org/crucible/journalism.html

The Spanish-American War is often referred to as the first "media war." During the 1890s, journalism that sensationalized—and sometimes even manufactured—dramatic events was a powerful force that helped propel the United States into war with Spain. Led by newspaper owners William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, journalism of the 1890s used melodrama, romance, and hyperbole to sell millions of newspapers--a style that became known as yellow journalism.

.....Yellow journals like the New York Journal and the New York World relied on sensationalist headlines to sell newspapers. William Randolph Hearst understood that a war with Cuba would not only sell his papers, but also move him into a position of national prominence.

From Cuba, Hearst's star reporters wrote stories designed to tug at the heartstrings of Americans. Horrific tales described the situation in Cuba--female prisoners, executions, valiant rebels fighting, and starving women and children figured in many of the stories that filled the newspapers.

But it was the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor that gave Hearst his big story--war. After the sinking of the Maine, the Hearst newspapers, with no evidence, unequivocally blamed the Spanish, and soon U.S. public opinion demanded intervention.

THESE people are playing HARDBALL folks.... We are in a NEW era.

[HEyHEY]

1. Well, we aren't quite as bad

But point taken..I remember studying that in Journalism-ethics in college - that scumbag hearst!

[bitchkitty]

2. You got it - Newsmax is pure sleaze, and a perfect

example of yellow journalism.

I envy you - I loved Journalism 101.

[ewagner]

3. Cool

I didn't think there was anybody around who knew the derivation of the term "Yellow Journalism".

A few years ago I had coffee with a group of people which included our local editor. I jokingly referred to his newspaper as a "slipshod yellow rag". He defended himself by saying that all newsprint turns yellow over time. He had no clue. I just stared at him over my coffee cup. I finally got to him by telling him I was cancelling my subscription because his cheap ink was getting all over my fish. hehehehehehe.

back on track.......I guess it was only a matter of time before electronic journalism started competing for ratings the same way as the old Hearst newspapers...and the motivation is the same money .

[DulceDecorum]

4. The PR industry has COMPLETELY taken over

journalism.
Below are a few links to substantiate that allegation.
PR firms practically write the news.
The news media is owned and managed by major corporations who use it to promote their products and agendae.
Fake organisations are set up to "create awareness at the grassroots level."

I posted that Newsmax article BECAUSE it was so blatant.
Most pieces are far more subtle.
They tug at your emotions.
They play you like a Stradivarius.
And you are happy and honored to sing the song of a sucker.

Disinfopedia, the encyclopedia of propaganda.
http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Disinfopedia_Main_Page

"Risk communication is about two things," Buckmaster said, "scaring people into action and trying to reassure them into inaction." Although corporate crisis management focuses on "reassuring into inaction," he noted noted that PR firms are sometimes hired to inflame rather than downplay fears.
Sometimes, he said, flacks "have to help people get outraged" about pressing public issues. "Sometimes you have to scare people into action."
These comments precipitated a momentary crisis in Buckmaster's own presentation, when a woman in the audience raised her hand and asked about Hill & Knowlton's role in "scaring people into action" during the months leading up to the Persian Gulf war.
<snip>
As Buckmaster's audience well knew, this "atrocity" never happened, but H&K nonetheless used the manufactured "baby incubator" incident to whip up war hysteria among the American public and politicians.
The woman's question prompted a buzz of anticipation, but Buckmaster managed to dodge the question like a true PR pro. "The Pentagon is the best risk-management group in the business," he mumbled, and quickly changed the subject.
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1997Q1/risky.html

Who owns what
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/

WALKING THROUGH THE GLASS minefield of the Oklahoma City Murrah Federal Building after Timothy McVeigh exploded his bomb, Aren Almon-Kok says she was struck by the complete and utter devastation. She remembers the crunch of the glass, the building debris and the blank stares of victims. One image, however, became forever set in her mind and heart—that of her one-year-old daughter dead in the arms of a fireman.
http://www.protectingpeople.org/news.shtml
The mission of the Protecting People First Foundation is to raise awareness of the hazards associated with terrorism, man-made and natural disasters and to promote the steps that can be taken to protect buildings and occupants from these dangers.
http://www.protectingpeople.org/index.shtml
CHALLENGE: Working for a client in the protective glazing industry, Cote & D'Ambrosio recognized as a serious problem the lack of awareness about protective glazing technologies. This product protects against flying glass hazards, most dangerous when caused by terrorist bombings or natural disasters.
SOLUTION: Cote & D'Ambrosio recognized the Oklahoma City bombing as a focal point in American history as well as a painful example of the deadly role played by flying glass. To help raise awareness of the deadly effects of flying glass and to promote greater preparedness for terrorist attacks, Cote & D'Ambrosio created the Protecting People First Foundation. The agency enlisted the support of Aren Almon-Kok, mother of Oklahoma City bombing victim Baylee Almon, one of 19 children killed in the attack. Knowing that the image of her daughter being carried from the Murrah Federal building will forever be associated with the Oklahoma City bombing, Almon-Kok joined the foundation as its national spokeswoman to ensure that some good comes out of her daughter's tragic death. With the support and direction of Cote & D'Ambrosio, Almon-Kok travels the country, meeting with elected officials, and building grass-roots awareness of flying glass hazards and the remedies available to protect the public from this danger. Through her work with the Foundation, Almon-Kok hopes to transform the image of her daughter from a symbol of the Oklahoma City bombing into a symbol of enhanced safety in America.
http://www.30brownst.com/publicrelationpgT.html

THAT is what Public Relations looks like today.
Now you just try telling someone that they are being scammed by that foundation. Go on I dare you.

[ewagner]

5. Even as cynical as I am

I am utterly shocked.

Disgusting!