Birth of Modern Journalism

Three interlocking phenomenas that marked a turn in American journalism were the penny press, yellow journalism, and muckraking. Although these three elements began at the turn of the 20th century, we are able to see how they all play in today's modern journalism.

Image retrieved from Apprend.

Penny press were cheap, mass-produced, tabloid-style newspapers made in the United States from the 1830s onwards. These kinds of newspapers were essential for the middle class to receive the news because they were made and sold at such a cheap price. In my opinion, I believe that without the penny press middle class citizens would still remain to be less informed on the news in comparison to upper class citizens.

Yellow journalism is a term used for newspapers that present little or no factual information and use exaggerated headlines to boost sales. These kinds of newspapers rely on sensationalism and are known for being unprofessional and unethical sources of news. Although the term started in the early 1900s, it is very ironic to see how it reflects in news coverage today. For example, President Donald Trump has made the term, "fake news," a household phrase when talking about unreliable news sources. This term seems to be the modern day version of yellow journalism.

An example of yellow journalism would be how In Touch Weekly magazine used a fake picture of Kim Kardashian not fitting into her wedding dress with the headline, "Inside Kim's Wedding from Hell." This magazine was unethical for using the fake picture and made it seem like her wedding was horrible, when in reality, it wasn't.

Muckrakers are journalists who exposed established institutions and leaders as corrupt during the Progressive Era. It is known in modern day as investigative or watchdog journalism. This kind of journalism digs deep for the facts, but it is also commonly known for causing scandal. I noticed that this also relates to the work of whistleblowers in modern day journalism as well.

An example of a muckraker would be Australian journalist Julian Assange who exposed the United States military for shooting civilians in Iraq on his website, Wikileaks. This scandal lead to his arrest and he is still trying to get free.

I believe there is a clear line between yellow journalism and muckraking because one presents more exaggerated information and the other presents more factual information, although they both might have underlying bad intentions.


Related Articles:
Penny Press
Yellow Journalism
Muckraker