The titanic battle that gave birth to the tabloid press
Posted on June 15, 2021
Shocking headlines, sordid news items, populist tone … Long before he became a symbol of quality journalism, Joseph Pulitzer was the forerunner of journalistic practices that we now call “yellow”. William Randolph Hearst was obsessed with dominating him. Harold Bérubé, professor of history, tells Jacques Beauchamp how the two rival tycoons built empires by courting immigrant readership.
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At the end of the 19th century, technological changes shook the media world. Paper is becoming more affordable and presses can now produce more, faster. To fund all of this, however, advertising becomes essential.
Winning formula
Accomplished journalist turned editor of New York World, Joseph Pulitzer made his mark by presenting, always on the front page, journalistic investigations. The titles of the articles and the layout catch the eye, even if it means stretching the reality, and scandals are privileged.
In order to gain the upper hand over the competition, he lowers the price of the number until it sells at a loss.
At New York JournalWilliam Randolph Hearst has only one idea in mind: to achieve even more success.
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« We are making the news more and more. And we make it around […] great causes that will scandalize readers and get them to mobilize. We are thus able to sell copies, but also, in Pulitzer’s mind, to contribute to the common good. »
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War to end
Hearst uses the family fortune to recruit the best Pulitzer journalists.
He lowers the price of his numbers even more than Pulitzer.
The New York World and the New York Journal each take the other’s news, even when they have been fabricated from scratch.
According to Harold Bérubé, the two publications only become more similar.
During this show, our guest reveals how this war between the two powerful entrepreneurs finally ended.
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