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Reader question:
What does “yellow journalism mean, as in this headline: “Yellow journalism
at its worst”?
My comments:
First of all, Yellow journalism is not to be confused with “黄色新闻”, which
appears to be a handy literal translation but which really does not work. The
Chinese yellow (黄色) points to pornography and that is not the case with yellow
journalism. Yellow journalism instead is closer to the current Chinese
vernacular of “八卦新闻”, which means, literally, media gossip.
Confused? You bet.
Just so you may be wary of literal translations^-^.
Now, definitions. Yellow journalism refers to treatment of trivia –
celebrity relationship scandals for example – as serious news that results in
lowered journalistic standards but increased readership. A large picture of a
half naked woman in the front page of a broadsheet newspaper, for example, would
be considered yellow journalism everywhere. For a tabloid, this would be
standard practice – And tabloids in general embody what constitutes yellow
journalism. Yellow journalism is their lifeline. They can not survive without
it.
The origin of the term dates back to late 19th century New York, and it
used to be called Yellow Kid Journalism, Yellow Kid being a character in a comic
strip that for some time appeared in two competing newspapers as cartoon
supplements. The cartoons were painted in yellow – those were days of
predominantly black and white – and were very, er, eye-catching and popular. And
they did help increase sales of the papers for a time. And hence, Yellow Kid
Journalism gradually became synonymous to profit-first journalism, or
sensationalism aimed at pepping up flagging circulations. Over time, as the
Yellow Kid comics died out, Yellow Kid Journalism was shortened to Yellow
journalism and the term has stuck since.
Here are recent media examples of what Yellow journalism is about.
1. If it bleeds - it leads. Rumor trumps facts every time. Sensationalism
sells.
It’s called “yellow journalism.”
- W-Five, Paula Todd, and yellow journalism, Rabble.ca, November 14,
2008.
2. Wow! I thought we were in the 21st Century. Obviously, the tabloid
escapades of the early 20th century has not totally lost its’ place in American
journalism. The cover art of The New Yorker (July 21st edition, see picture) is
a characterization of the rumors surrounding the Islamic ties of Senator Barack
Obama that have been circulating around the internet for over a year. The
difference, of course, is that e-mail chains and bloggers do not have the
readership or the journalistic history of this publication.
This satirical cover art is an example of Yellow Journalism. For those of
you who skipped your American government undergraduate course, Yellow Journalism
is defined as sensationalized reporting that lowers journalistic standards in
order to increase readership. Clearly, the cover art is meant to increase
interest in readership, the question is what kind of long term impact this may
have on the presidential race.
Will The New Yorker publish a similar cartoon of John McCain as an irate
“Father Time” with his wife popping pills in the background? If not, then it may
be proved that the intent of publishing of this cartoon was malicious. Then,
Obama can file a libel suit against The New Yorker similar to the New York Times
Co. v. Sullivan case of 1964 where the Supreme Court decided that a public
official would have to prove actual malice in the publishing of misleading
reporting.
Unfortunately, there will be a backlash because of this cover. There will
be people who will say to me, “See, I told you Obama was a Muslim and he will
destroy the country.” Even if The New Yorker did intend to show how far fetched
it would be for a sitting United States Senator to be in league with terrorists;
the response of those it is trying to enlighten will be eclipsed by the visual
on the cover.
Welcome to the world of Yellow Journalism 2008…where a picture is worth a
thousand words and Americans do not bother to read more than ten of them.
- Yellow Journalism 101 - The New Yorker Magazine, Examiner.com, July 14,
2008. |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:56:27