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William Randolph Hearst

__Occupation__ William Randolph Hearst was a newspaper publisher famous for his sensationalism. After being kicked out of Harvard, Hearst took an interest in journalism and worked for Joseph Pulitzer at the //New York World.// Here, Hearst learned the style of journalism, sensationalism, that focused on scandal, crime, and corruption. In 1887, Hearst became the head of the //San Francisco Examiner//, a newspaper that his father, a wealthy miner and politician, had bought. Then, in 1895, Hearst looked to expand his journalism to New York and bought the //New York Journal//. This created a circulation competition between Hearst’s and Pulitzer’s newspapers. To increase circulation, Hearst lowered the price of his newspaper to one cent, embellished on stories of atrocities inflicted by the Spanish, and used dishonest tactics to compete with the //World//. This type of journalism became known as the “yellow press,” and would play a large role in forming American opinions about imperialism and Spanish-American war.

__Position on Annexation__ Having played a large role in spreading the sentiment for war, Hearst supported imperialism, the Spanish-American War, and the annexation of the Philippines. Hearst became famous during the war because of his strongly worded publications on the matter, exaggerating the issues the Cubans were facing. After the American ship, the Maine, mysteriously exploded, Hearst published the unlikely conclusion that it had been a Spanish attack. He also added the popular call for war after he published a letter from a Spanish minister that insulted William McKinley. After war had been declared, Hearst took steps to fight in it personally, even coming up with an elaborate plan to block the Spanish in response to a false claim that they were sailing to the Philippines to fight with Dewey. Hearst’s biggest argument for imperialism was that the United States needed to help Cuba and the Philippines maintain stability in their country and government. This idea came from theory that America was a superior power who had the right to intervene in the affairs of other countries, a theory that was being promoted by many philosophers during that time period.

__Interests__ Hearst was mostly interested in the issues in Cuba and the Philippines to improve his newspapers. The //Journal// and //Examiner// were directed towards middle class workers and immigrants who were drawn to the sensationalistic stories. Therefore, it was necessary for Hearst to write about world issues, like the sinking of the Maine and wrongdoings by the Spanish in Cuba. Hearst was also interested in the issue because of his opposition to big businesses and monopolies. Therefore, he naturally felt terrible for the working class Cubans and Filipinos, which led him to encourage the U.S. government and the American public to support the Spanish-American War and the United State’s intervention in the countries’ affairs.

Works Cited "Destruction of the War Ship Maine was the Work of the Enemy." //Historical Thinking Matters//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. . "Hearst, William Randolph 1863-1951." //American Decades//. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 1: 1900-1909. Detroit: Gale, 2001. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. "William Randolph Hearst ." //The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. . "William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) | Hearst Castle." //Hearst Castle//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. . "Hearst, William Randolph." //Spanish-American War//. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 123-129. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.