The term “yellow journalism” derives from a comic strip called “The Yellow Kid”.
The comic strip in which the Yellow Kid character was introduced was penned by R. F. Outcault and first appeared in 1895. It became enormously popular in New York, and publishing giants William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer fought over the rights, a contest that ended up in court. The end result of that legal battle was that both of their newspapers, the World and the Journal, ended up running comic strips in which the character was featured.
“The Yellow Kid” became symbolic of the battles for circulation that the two papers fought. Eventually, the term “yellow journalism” was coined from the battle for the comic strip and came to represent unprofessional or unethical journalism for the purpose of increasing circulation.
Some historians credit yellow journalism with precipitating the Spanish-American War.
Those of you who listened to “Town Talk” on WIZS yesterday already know what we’re talking about. For those of you who are unenlightened, we’re told that Mr. John Rose referred to our little operation as “yellow journalism” on the air yesterday.
What can we say…except, of course, thank you.
No, we’re not grateful to have been insulted. We feel the criticism of a man of John Rose’s stature as keenly as if Edward R. Murrow himself had dumped a bucket of slops on our keyboard. Beyond our boyish humility, though, we don’t know what the heck he’s talking about, as each of our stories is carefully written and vetted before going to publication.
As for circulation, the only advertising we do is hand out business cards.
They’re beige, not yellow.
We are grateful because John Rose has offered us not the glad hand of friendship, but the cruel backhand of acceptance. Mr. Rose has welcomed us into the community of Henderson discourse by taking us out and thrashing us a good one on the air. No longer shall only the Daily Dispatch (which has yet to print the words “Home”, “in”, and “Henderson” together in that order) take all of the criticism and enjoy the glorious monopoly of opprobrium.
Now we truly are at “home” in Henderson.
Thanks, John.