ACTIVITY 3: PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS
NAME:__________________________________________________________PER:____DATE:__________
Directions: Analyze the document and answer the questions that follow.
______
AIM: How did
ACTIVITY Yellow
1: DO NOWJournalism affect the Spanish-American War?
Directions: Answer the questions below.
DOCUMENT 1 DOCUMENT 2
1. Do either of these headlines state — for a fact — that Spain sunk the USS Maine? Why might people start to
blame Spain?
2. Of the headlines above, which do you believe is exaggerating facts to stir up drama and boost sales?
ACTIVITY 2: TEXT ANALYSIS
Directions:
3. Compare Analyze
andthecontrast
text and answer the questionswill
how Americans that react
follow. to documents 1 and 2.
Throughout the Spanish-American War, journal- 1. Define ‘yellow journalism’.
ists took advantage of rising tensions in Amer-
ica to exaggerate facts and stir up their read-
ers. Newspapers owners William Randolph
Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer encouraged the
use of drama, romance, and exaggeration to
sell millions of newspapers. This became 2. How did yellow journalism impact the Spanish-American War?
known as yellow journalism. The term is derived
from a popular comic in Pulitzer’s newspaper
New York World called "Hogan's Alley," which
featured a yellow-dressed character named the
"the yellow kid.” Desperate to compete with
Pulitzer, Hearst began to copy the yellow comic 3. OPINION: Should ‘yellow journalism’ be illegal in the United
style, even hiring the same artist. With both States today? Explain.
competing with their own ‘yellow kid’ comics,
and using innovative yellow ink, people began
to recognize the colors and the styles and as-
sociate them with ‘yellow journalism’.
SOURCE: Campbell, W. Joseph (2001), Yellow Journalism: Puncturing the Myths, Defining the Legacies.
ACTIVITY 5 — ADDITIONAL RESOURCE: GUIDED NOTES
Directions: Copy the notes as directed.
“YELLOW JOURNALISM” CARTOON
ACTIVITY 4: ASSESSMENT
Directions: Choose an option below and complete on looseleaf for an assessment grade.
SOURCE: "Yellow journalism" cartoon about Spanish–American War of 1898. The newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph
Hearst are both attired as the Yellow Kid comics character of the time, and are competitively claiming ownership of the war.
1. Who do the figures in this illustration represent?
2. Analyze this cartoon and explain why the two figures are fighting. Describe evidence seen in the cartoon to
support your answer.
3. What is the artist of this cartoon saying about the two figures and their role in the Spanish-American War?
4. Explain this artist’s point of view on yellow journalism based on your analysis of this document.
OPTION A OPTION B
An American command center at the Galactic Federation headquarters on In a paragraph of 6-8 sentences, answer the
Mars has blown up. There is no evidence as to whether or not it was an acci- AIM: “How did Yellow Journalism affect the
dent — but you see an opportunity to sell some copies of your newspaper! Spanish-American War?” Provide at least
Design a front page that rallies fellow Earthlings up for war against the Mar- two pieces of evidence from today’s activi-
tians, even without proof that it was their fault.
ties.
ACTIVITY 6 — ADDITIONAL RESOURCE: VIDEO ANALYSIS
Directions: Analyze the video linked below and answer the questions that follow.
What is
YELLOW JOURNAL-
ISM?
A HISTORY OF YELLOW JOURNALISM
1. How did ‘yellow journalism’ get its name?
2. How did Hearst and Pulitzer use the Spanish-American War
to sell papers?
3. How did other newspapers report the crisis surrounding
the USS Maine?
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wFrAny77UY
