Yellow Journalism by Zillah
Zillahof Philadelphia's entry into Varsity Tutor's March 2017 scholarship contest
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Yellow Journalism by Zillah - March 2017 Scholarship Essay
According to the American Journalism Review, there has been a nationwide decline in students studying Journalism in the past four years, in the United States. Whether this decline is the cause of an oversupply of journalists, or indicative of a larger problem is to be seen. But the case can certainly be made that the reason interest in the study of journalism has fallen is because of the overwhelming amount of yellow journalism found in today's media.Yellow journalism; journalism that is based upon sensational and crude exaggeration. While helpful in selling, it is not helpful in the department of truth. Headlines like “JK Rowling’s bush trimming is holding up traffic” to “Abraham Lincoln Was a Woman” are examples of yellow journalism. Headlines lie, and the truth seems to be forgotten, when the thought of dollar signs start to dominate publisher’s minds. And so, if I were to be given the opportunity to present a speech to my peers, I would choose the scary trend of yellow journalism, for several reasons. Yellow journalism allows journalists to be lazy with their reporting, feeds misinformation to a wide audience, and disrespects the rich history of journalism in the United States of America.
Journalists lack of research, investigation, and fact checking leads to big problems. Despite, or perhaps as a result of, the internet being at our very fingertips, journalists have been allowed to get away with outrages inaccuracies in their reporting. Everyone depends on the news, and if the information presented to the public isn't always true, it becomes a scary world. One where fallacy rules, inaccuracy rages like a fire in the minds of many, and where opinions are stated like facts. Sloth perpetrated by yellow journalists in the US inevitably leads to trouble for not only these journalists, but for the general public. When one presents a twisted, or inaccurate story, they are lying however indirect or otherwise they might be doing so.
Lying to the masses leads to things as small as a fixable misunderstanding, and as big as bigotry and racism. Headlines calling a large group of people something inflammatory are the very things that can lead to larger problems. All because a journalist somewhere is told they only have to pump out the laziest of eye catching headlines. One should also note that plenty of people don’t even read articles in full! How many times have you skimmed over the title of something, read the first half paragraph, and then clicked off? It’s a common habit in today's society. So if people are only reading the headlines, and getting nothing but sensational key phrases, without any substance, then the people's media diet is consisting primarily of lies.
Journalism in America has a long, and rich history. In 1690, Benjamin Harris published the first edition of “Public Occurrence, both Foreign and Domestic” in Boston, which would later be recognized as the first piece of Journalism in the America’s. Soon after, Benjamin Franklin would join the rank of people demanding freedom of the press. American journalists of the past worked long and hard to keep the USA’s journalism accessible and ethical. After years and decades, and millennia, America is seen as one of the top countries for journalistic excellence. This reputation is one that needs to be upheld. It is a point of pride for the US, and so should be held as a pillar of our country's culture, that the freedom, ethicality, and accessibility of the press must be held in high regard.
Journalism is a profession to be respected. But when yellow journalism grows like a weed, society as a whole is faced with the issue, as it is a problem that affects everyone. When fact and fiction blend, it becomes harder for people to make informed, and educated decisions; Politically and otherwise. yellow journalism, with its lazy reporting, and its misinforming, are the core reasons why I believe it is a topic that needs to be addressed. The more people in the public know about yellow journalism, the better chance there is of keeping them away from its ugly grasp. This is why, given the opportunity, I would present about yellow journalism to a school-wide audience.