Origins of Political Entertainment

Joseph Pulitzer and William Hearst competed using sensationalism, oftentimes sacrificing facts for sales and profit, and synthesized politics with entertainment during a time when national morale needed revival.

Pulitzer and hearst


Joseph Pulitzer: The New York World

Prior to the era of yellow journalism, newspapers were either for entertainment or political news.

Pulitzer combined aspects of entertainment newspapers, known as the "penny press", with political papers to make political news more entertaining. (Pandemic and Politics: Analyzing the Politicization and Polarization of Pandemic-Related Reporting)

{Britannica}

{Naval History and Heritage Command}


William Randolph Hearst: The New York Journal

Hearst advocated for the US to go to war against Spain in order to unite the country against a common enemy and create opportunities for engaging news stories.

(Pandemic and Politics: Analyzing the Politicization and Polarization of Pandemic-Related Reporting)

Rivalry

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This popular cartoon strip called "Hogan's Alley" was illustrated by Richard F. Outcault. It was regularly published in The New York World.

Hearst hired Outcault to increase sales for The New York Journal, sparking a bidding war between Hearst and Pulitzer over the cartoonist. The two men were rivals in the newspaper industry, battling for audience engagement to increase profit.