" YELLOW JOURNALISM."

NZ Truth, Issue 93, 30 March 1907, Page 7

" YELLOW JOURNALISM."

PAPERS THAT FIGHT AND PAPERS

THAT FAWN.

Stirring Stories from the States,

A "Yellow Journalist" m Vindication.

Some reflections on journalism m its most aj^sressivc sense are suggested on reading a volume by James ' Creelman, a distinguished American journalist who has, acted as special correspondent foi- the "New York World" and .the^'New York Journal" m many parts of the globe, and Avho has been present on the big occasions when history Was mfl.de m recent years. Mr Creelman, 1 as his book "On t>he Great Highway" abundantly proves, is the . living type of what m the United States is called "Yellow journalism." That term has become a term of reproach ( the world over, but is the term justified ? In striking, but not al-. ways favourable, contrast, to the yellow journals, are the organs which arrogate to themselves the title of w . the respectable newspapers." We lflttow them well m. Australasia, these *' "'fcEOkSNIFFS AND PHARISEES of the journalistic world. They are . organs of "right-thinking" persons. They chronicle the small beer of dull respectability; They are studiously polite to wealth . They beam » on sassfety and position. They kowtow to the great ones of the earth. They never by any means do anything that would bring "a blush to the oheek of the young person," as Mr Podsnap says. Do they not, metaphorically speaking, gather tup their strictly proper skirts, fearing con- . tamination, when a paper r that does, and dares, such, say, as I ".Truth," passes by •? Do they not give the churches prominence? Don't they suppress the name of the man of wealth when it crops up m any discreditable connection, and thus avoid scandal ? What more should a "respectable/ paper do ? ■Mr. Creelman puts it Well when he takes up the cudgels on behalf of the" strenuous newspaper 'lite. " How little they know of 'yellow journalism' who denounce it !" he writes. "How swift they are to condemn. its shrieking headlines, its exaggerated pictures, its coarse buffoonery, its intrusions upon private life; and its occasional- inaccuracies! But how slow they are to see the steadfast guardianship of public interests which it maintains! How blind to its unfearing warfare against rascality, its detection and persecution of crime, its costly searchings for v knowledge throughout the earth; ITS EXPOSURE OF HUMBUG, its endless funds for the quick, relief of distress!" If there is any paper m Australasia that can proudly put its hand on its bosom and say "Hear/, near!" to that outburst it is "Truth," but let that pass. Listen to Mr. Creelman . again when he speaks of the part played. by the United States press m the Spanish-American war: ",.li the war against Spain is justified* m the eves >of history, theniv.., yellow journalism' deserves . its place among the most useful, instrumentalities of civilisation. It may be -guilty of giving the world a lopsided view of events by . exaggerating the .importance of a few things v and .ignoring others, it may offend. tfte eye by typographical violence, it-may some<thne proclaim its own deeds, top iloudly ; but it has never deserted the cause of the poor and downtrodden ; it has never taken, bribes and that is more than ; can ; 'be said % ol the most Conspicuous critics. One of the accusations >■ against . 'yellow ■journalism' is that it steps outside of the legitimate, business Of gathering npws and commenting upon . it— that it acts.... It is argued, that a .newspaper '-thatr creates events, and thus - creates newsy, ipannot, ; 'm human nature, be a fair wrtaess. The^e is. <a, grain of tru^bh m this criticism; .that the ; " >.' '/, ;. '. VERY NATURE OF. JOURNALISM, enables it to act m the very heart of events at critical moments, and with knowledge • not possessed by the general public; that what is everybody's business and theAbusiness ofi nobody m particular is the journalist's business.' There are times when public emergencies call lor audden intervention by some power .outside the Government authority. ,Tfoen' journalism acts'" . Mr. Creelman gives a haiir-raisinig instance of the manner m which the newspaper m which he was connected acted m one such emergency.. It was at the • of the Spain-ish-American war. Spain's fleet was admittedly the stronger— on paper. Its worthlessness' had not yet; been demons trated m action. .. Admiral Dewey was m Manila Bay, and Admiral Camara was hastening to attack him with a fleet that was much more powerful on paper. Two American monitors were eating, up coal by the hundred tons as they ■ steamed actons , the Pkcific' to . Dewev's assistance V but would they arrive m time? „ The threatened Admiral was consumed with anxiety, a lid he made no secret of it. The United States Government was pow-' crless. Time, time,- was everything, and even Lncle Sam, all powerful as he is, or thinks he is, cannot, Jfke Joshua, bail up the sun. Then, the "New York Journal" stepped m, and Mr. Creelman, who was m London, received a 'letter from Mr. 'Hearst, the proprietor of the paper— the original is produced m his book —directing him, m case the Spanish fleet actually started for Manila, to "BUY SOME ' BIG V ENGLISH STEAMER at the eastern end of the Mediterranean and take her to some part o? Suez Canal, where he can* then sink her. and obstruct the, passage I of the Spanish warships!" The I steamer was actually purchased, but I the heroic expedient of sinking her I jti the canal was not necessary. *\ Camara 's fleet had actually entered ■1 the canal on its way *to that at- \ tack, and then for some reason the H expedition was abandoned. One does I not have to be a great lawyer, as iMr. Creelman iwints out, to under- \ stand that the obstruction of the ISuez Canal could not have been unfd*ttaJ«m by any r-esponsible repre-

■ ■■ ■ . '-■'." * sentat'ive of the American Govern- 1 menfc without a grave breach of international .law. -Nor was there any existing private agency that could so well undertake such ,a costly and serious patriotic service as a newspaper whose correspondents kept it m almost hourly touch with the changing facts of the situation. /'I would not attempt to defend this contemplated deed as a matter of law," the author writes. "It needs no defence amdng Americans; The facts arc civen as an illustration of the part which' the journalism of action is ' ljeg'inniti'g to .play m the affairs of nations,- aftd the varying methods employed.' 1 r All the world knows .that the war with Spain was rightly or wrongly forced on by a few.' of the. United States newspapers . No secret is made of that. The papers glory m it. Some months before hostilities commenced the "New York Journal" sent an artist to -Cuba. The ARTIST FAILED TO SEE any likelihood of War, and cabled back Tor permission to return. To him came this reply from Mr. Hearst: "Plcabe remain! You furnish the pictures, nnd I'll furnish the war!" and 1 - iiicrtfdible as it may sound; he didV Through his paper- ho so roused the American, people, tb.ii/i.the G6vernment, ' noleiis volens, JiAd to declare war. It is : good to have a giant's strength, but is it gobd .to use- it on every -occasion? The answer to that question " vindicates or condemns the Journalism" not only m. the .United States, but of the world ' bv^r. TO put if- in .a nutshell, does the end justify the means. • Perhaps we will be again paydoned and exonerated from thetaunt of blowing%.our own trumpet if we again cite the ' record of "Truth" by way of answer. . "Truth" Y has been: ruthless on niany a well-remembetfid. occasion. Mrs. Grundyj dear old lady, . would no niore think of being seen reading the paper • than she wtfuld of being seen m her nightdi^iss and curlpapers. _'\' : 'she reads 'it ". all ii& same. The holy ones, the; Tregears, the Worralls, and the Wood- 1 fulls have^ m and but of season curs-' ed the paper, and "declared its anathema. Was "Truth" justified m acting as it did?- The great majbtity of the people df Australia unhesitatingly answer. '/Yes," becauste thoy back up the paper, With a great and evergrowing support When tiie: I'Argus"1 'Argus" and its kiftd wisli -to ]>c severe, they on 'their frock coats 'and best fawn-colo*ured globes. /'TrUtli^ wades m bald-headed, wit-ii ''■' its 'coat off and its shirt sleeves rolled up. One paper calls a spade a spade. The other remains discreetly silent. Which method touches the. spot? That is the test, and that is where "Truth" scores. It can point to a record of wrongs that have been >ighted, . of frauds tha^t have been exposed, pi festering apres, .of -vice; and inicfuity that have been exposed to the light of day, and cauterised m the burning -heat of public indignation. The 'doing "ot theseV things is, perhaps, not nice, but. because they have been done the community is cleaner, healthier, and better. '• But to get back to- tl^B \ ' 'YELLOW JOURNALISM OF 3?HE STATJ^S. and its 'Kreatesit achieVementT^the war with Spain..' Was it justified m fomenting that war, and thereby about the deaths of 'thousands? Let us see. The primary object of 'the war was the freeing of Cuba. For ; long years, the people on that island had -groaned beneath the tyranny of Spain. The World knew m a casual sort of way thaft' 1 there was something rottea [m the island of C v uba', but it was not until 'the AmeMoaji papers' began to poke their inqwisitive noses into the business that the, worM. knew what % hell •of mairder and rapine. Cuba was. The world was shocked m a polite and gentlemanly way, but' there, was no redress for .'"'the Cubans. Public meetings- were held, and protests were made, but the Cubans suffered the more. The • SPANIARD REDOUBLED HIS \ CRUELTIES,. the while .he '• told the world at large that the Cuban vi»as an ungrateful brute, who bit . the hand that fed Jiim, .and who more m sorrow T than m 4 a.nger, he had to chastise itttb a proper frame of mtod.' ;All , the • time appalling cruelties were being wreaked on on the God-forsaiken Cubans. They Were being murdered wholesale, but the Spaniard told the world they were being killed ip. open battle. The '-'yellow "journals; *' as the only means of. easing the Cuban's lot and rousing the public conscience, set themselves to prove that the people were being murdered, and ; not killed irt battle. Their (methods were perhaps unscrupulous, and such as no "right-think-ing- paper" would adopt. But if ever ,there was a good end m view, there was one on this occasion. Let us quote just one, instance Irom Mr. Creelman's pages :— "ln Campp Florida, a village eight miles distant from Havanna, forty or fifty unarmed, peaceable Cubans, had been dragged from their homes and, without accusation or trial, BUTCHERED ON THE ROADSIDE by order of the local military commander. This awful deed Was simply an incident m Weyler's great plan for the restoration of peace by the murder of all persons suspected of giving aid to the insurgents. In order to keep up appearances, the officer who directed the uniformed assassins made an official report announcing, the battle Of Campo Florida, with an enumeration of the enemy's dead. It was important to prove the responsibility, of the Spanish Crown for barbarites like these, and I made my Way to Campo Florida at night. Guided by two patriotic Cubans I found the place where the victims had been hurriedly buried. A few strokes of the spade un-

covered the ghastly evidences of murder. .The hands of, the slain Cubans wore tied behind their backs!' 'The sight revealed by the. flickering light of our \ lanterns would have MOVED THE HARDEST HEART. I made a vow m; that moment .to: extinguish Spanish -sovereignty :in Cuba if I had to shed my blood for it. That vow was kept." ■ By exposures such as these the "yellow journals" of the United States let loose the dogs of war,) "and," to quote Mr, Creelman, "that; was a saying of high reproach when the armed struggle began, and When , Continental Europe frowned upon the American cause. "Yellow journalism" was 'blood 'guilty. It. had broken the peace •of the world. Its editors were enemies of society, and its correspondents ministers of passion and disorder. Its lying' clamours had aroused the credulous mob, overthrown the dignified pplicies of Governments, and dishonoured international law,. But when the results oif that conflict justified the instrumentalities which produced it, the world accepted the emancipation of Cuba from the bloody rule of Spain as a glorious step m the progress of mankind—than the 'part played by the newspapers was forgotten, and "yellow journalism' -was left to sing its own praises, and," says Mr. Creelman m conclusion and truthfully, "its voice was long and loud, and sometimes tiresome." This is the sum and substance of it all. Newspapers had provoked a war, but they had freed a people. They had brought about the DEATHS OF MANY THOUSANDS, but they had ended the tale, of countless murders and unspeakable oppression. Surely it will be admitted that the case made out for theni, and aggressive newspapers generally, is not a weak one. Yellow journals are not immaculate, but surely they are not as black— or , rather yellow— as they are painted.