The Successes And Failures Of William Randolph Hearst

“Any man who has the brains to think and the nerve to act for the benefit of the people of the country is considered a radical by those who are content with stagnation and willing to endure disaster.” These words, uttered by William Randolph Hearst himself, exemplify the man and journalist he was.

In order to fully comprehend and effectively analyze the successes and failures of William Randolph Hearst, an understanding of his upbringing is a necessary onset. Born in San Francisco, the son of a multimillionaire father and a schoolteacher mother, Hearst received the absolute best obtainable education. His initial introduction to journalism was his father’s purchasing of The San Francisco Examiner, which he would later come to own and operate.

Upon arriving in New York, he obtained the New York Morning Journal, a failing newspaper, and carried it to national popularity. In a successful effort to attract readers, headlines resembled bright billboards, their topics ranging from sport to crime to scandal. The Journal eventually clashed with analogous papers in the city, the most notable Joseph Pulitzer’s World. Competition began to grow increasingly fierce, Hearst often stealing from the World their most aggressive reporters and executives. Additionally, in an effort to gain circulation, Hearst lowered the price of his newspaper to a mere penny, causing all competing news outlets to match the same price or be forced out of business. Some of the ruthlessness later associated with Hearst can be attributed to these early actions. Continuing his practice of insertion of unnecessary and often falsified details in an effort to gain audience, Hearst’s sensationalist news empire began to multiply. In perhaps the most well known action of Hearst, an article was published boldly claiming the Spanish had sunk a battleship in the already tense Spanish-American conflict in Cuba, to which he and his news empire had no proof. In correlation with this act of inciting a war between The United States, Hearst often utilized his vast and powerful news outlets to push his own political views. This exercise of personal advancement, viewed differently by many, tarnishes the everlastingly important legacy of Hearst.

In order to truly discredit the naysayers who insist that Hearst’s negative legacy is indeed deserved, a full and comprehensive apprehension of any and all unfavorable issues surrounding the ambitious young journalist is essential. One such aspect of Heart’s journalistic career and life is his involvement with and constructing of what is known as yellow journalism. Yellow journalism