Editing Yellow journalism (section)

===Hearst in San Francisco, Pulitzer in New York===
[[File:Puck112188c.jpg|thumb|"Evil spirits", such as "Paid Puffery" and "Suggestiveness", spew from "the modern daily press" in this ''[[Puck (magazine)|Puck]]'' cartoon of November 21, 1888.]]

Joseph Pulitzer purchased the ''New York World'' in 1883 after making the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' the dominant daily in that city. Pulitzer strove to make the ''New York World'' an entertaining read, and filled his paper with pictures, games and contests that drew in new readers. Crime stories filled many of the pages, with headlines like "Was He a Suicide?" and "Screaming for Mercy".<ref name=Swanberg_p74-7>{{harvnb|Swanberg|1967|pp=74–75}}</ref> In addition, Pulitzer charged readers only two cents per issue but gave readers eight and sometimes 12 pages of information (the only other two-cent paper in the city never exceeded four pages).<ref name=Nasaw_p100>{{harvnb|Nasaw|2000|p=100}}</ref>

While there were many sensational stories in the ''New York World'', they were by no means the only pieces, or even the dominant ones. Pulitzer believed that newspapers were public institutions with a duty to improve society, and he put the ''World'' in the service of social reform. Pulitzer explained that:<ref>Quoted in Darrell M. West, ''The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment'' (Bedford / St. Martin's, 2001), p.43. </ref> <blockquote>The American people want something terse, forcible, picturesque, striking, something that will arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy, arouse their indignation, stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, [and] awaken their conscience.</blockquote>

Just two years after Pulitzer took it over, the ''World'' became the highest-circulation newspaper in New York, aided in part by its strong ties to the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].<ref name=Swanberg_p91>{{harvnb|Swanberg|1967|p=91}}</ref> Older publishers, envious of Pulitzer's success, began criticizing the ''World'', harping on its crime stories and stunts while ignoring its more serious reporting—trends which influenced the popular perception of yellow journalism. [[Charles Anderson Dana|Charles Dana]], editor of the ''[[The Sun (New York City)|New York Sun]]'', attacked ''The World'' and said Pulitzer was "deficient in judgment and in staying power."<ref name=Swanberg_p79>{{harvnb|Swanberg|1967|p=79}}</ref>

Pulitzer's approach made an impression on [[William Randolph Hearst]], a mining heir who acquired the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' from his father in 1887. Hearst studied the ''World'' and resolved to make the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' as bright as Pulitzer's paper.<ref name=Nasaw_p54-63>{{harvnb|Nasaw|2000|pp=54–63}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Under his leadership, the ''Examiner'' devoted 24 percent of its space to crime, presenting the stories as [[morality play]]s, and sprinkled adultery and "nudity" (by 19th-century standards) on the front page.<ref name=Nasaw_p75-77>{{harvnb|Nasaw|2000|pp=75–77}}</ref> A month after Hearst took over the paper, the ''Examiner'' ran this headline about a hotel fire:<blockquote> HUNGRY, FRANTIC FLAMES. They Leap Madly Upon the Splendid Pleasure Palace by the Bay of Monterey, Encircling Del Monte in Their Ravenous Embrace From Pinnacle to Foundation. Leaping Higher, Higher, Higher, With Desperate Desire. Running Madly Riotous Through Cornice, Archway and Facade. Rushing in Upon the Trembling Guests with Savage Fury. Appalled and Panic-Stricken the Breathless Fugitives Gaze Upon the Scene of Terror. The Magnificent Hotel and Its Rich Adornments Now a Smoldering heap of Ashes. The ''Examiner'' Sends a Special Train to Monterey to Gather Full Details of the Terrible Disaster. Arrival of the Unfortunate Victims on the Morning's Train – A History of Hotel del Monte – The Plans for Rebuilding the Celebrated Hostelry – Particulars and Supposed Origin of the Fire.<ref name=Nasaw_p75>{{harvnb|Nasaw|2000|p=75}}</ref>}}</blockquote>

Hearst could be hyperbolic in his crime coverage; one of his early pieces, regarding a "band of murderers", attacked the police for forcing ''Examiner'' reporters to do their work for them. But while indulging in these stunts, the ''Examiner'' also increased its space for international news, and sent reporters out to uncover municipal corruption and inefficiency.
[[File:The Yellow Press by L.M. Glackens.jpg|thumb|"The Yellow Press", by [[L. M. Glackens]], portrays William Randolph Hearst as a jester distributing sensational stories.]]
In one well remembered story, ''Examiner'' reporter [[Winifred Bonfils|Winifred Black]] was admitted into a San Francisco hospital and discovered that poor women were treated with "gross cruelty". The entire hospital staff was fired the morning the piece appeared.<ref name=Nasaw_p69-77>{{harvnb|Nasaw|2000|pp=69–77}}</ref>