Yellow journalism is the publishing of exaggerated stories and oftentimes, completely fake news. It can be expressed in a few different ways. It can be when someone publishes a story that’s entirely one-sided. It can be when someone publishes something without doing any research first. It can also be when someone publishes something simply for shock value. When the truth is stretched and the research is missing or distorted, this is when yellow journalism comes in.
Yellow journalism is everywhere now. In previous eras, people saw yellow journalism through newspapers and the occasional news story on TV. Today, yellow journalism is broadcasted on social media, blogs, radio stations, magazines, and even billboards on the highway. Not only that, but it’s easier than ever to publish fake news on our own. Social media apps such as Twitter and Facebook offer quick ways to post whatever we please in the matter of seconds. Simply using the right synonyms in the headline, such as swapping the word “awful” for “horrific”, can easily draw in readers, even if the story isn’t that serious to begin with.
The biggest problem with yellow journalism is people believe a lot of what they read. Take for example what happened at the end of 2016 at a Washington D.C. pizzeria. Edgar Maddison Welch opened fire at Comet Ping Pong after reading that Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief, John Podesta, were running a child sex ring in the back rooms of the restaurant. It turns out that dozens of fake articles about Clinton were posted for up to a month accusing her of kidnapping, molesting, and trafficking young children. While it was understandable of Welch to want to help end a seemingly harmful crime, it shows how fake news can easily turn something nonexistent into a life-threatening event.
With the popularity of reality TV and 24-hour access to social media, pop culture is bigger than ever now, and yellow journalism mainly targets pop culture figures. A trip to the grocery store is a perfect example of this: near the checkout line, dozens of tabloids are lined up with headlines in big letters like: “Kim Kardashian Has A Mental Breakdown!” or “Rihanna Seeks Therapy After Abusing Drugs!” It’s quite evident that it’s fake, but there’s always going to be that one person who believes it all. That person can go on Twitter and publish their own version of the fake news they see in tabloids, and they can attract a wide audience just off a single tweet. Tabloid companies know this, and that’s why they continue to publish fake news daily.
Yellow journalism has existed for over a century now. At first, maybe yellow journalists didn’t use it to spew negativity. But today, it is used as a tool to hurt people’s lives while making a big chunk of money while they’re at it. Yellow journalism today largely revolves around celebrities. They are being watched by the media constantly, and any scandalous story, whether fake or true, will bring in more money. The phrase “go where the money is” describes yellow journalism perfectly. Money is the root of all yellow journalism and it’s up to everyone to not believe everything they read.
No comments:
Post a Comment