William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst once said, “you can crush a man with journalism.” Hearst crushed many opponents with his newspapers and articles, if they were simply in his way of establishing an empire. His motivation for making his journalism outlets such a success was not money, but power to control the public. Hearst’s introduction into journalism came from an apprenticeship to Joseph Pulitzer after college. It wasn’t until he had gained control of his father’s newspaper the San Francisco Examiner, that he began to submerge himself into the world of journalism. During Hearst’s reign of the media empire, he established control over the
American public’s view on political matters and created a legacy of yellow journalism that coined him a
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Hearst used the same techniques as his mentor, Joseph Pulitzer, that included printing the most shocking news he could find or create to draw in wide audiences. Hearst’s exposure to journalism allowed him to squash out Pulitzer and intercept his viewers by doing exactly what Pulitzer taught him which was hiring the best writers and buying the best press equipment. In order to be able to impact the public opinion “Hearst owned 31 newspapers, and one in every four Americans read a Hearst newspaper,” (Dow & Noce, eds., 1999). He used his wealth to invest and build his newspapers and eventually other media outlets to interact with the minds of Americans. Hearst used his resources to expand beyond newspapers to radio stations, magazines, and television stations to further his opinions onto the public. Wealth and an early exposure prepared Hearst for creating his media empire and contributing yellow journalism into American history.
Accomplishments
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST 4
William Randolph Hearst used his media empire to manipulate America’s political opinions and situations. Hearst created “headlines and stories on the sinking of the