Thursday: Yellow Journalism - Cause of Spanish American War

Thursday: Yellow Journalism - Cause of Spanish American War

Bell Ringer 12/17/20 (Answer in your B.R. Notebook, as usual):

What would happen if our society believed every headline we read on social media/the news?

Teaching Point:

Good historians are able to analyze the role of Yellow Journalism in the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Poll

Have you ever fallen for click-bait or for an interesting headline on the news that didn't end up being true?

• YAASSSS.

• UH NO.

Open Ended

How might fake news/headlines or click-bait impact people?

Background Information (Context) - What was the Spanish-American War about?

• Cuba, an island only 90 miles from the United States shore, had been a colony or an area under the control of Spain since 1492. Over the years, US businessmen had heavily invested in Cuban sugar plantations and other industries; Cuba had also become a major market for manufactured goods produced in the United States. Cuba had many important resources which Americans used.

Background Information (Context): What was the Spanish-American War about?

• When Cuba decided to go to war for independence from Spain, the U.S. decided to remain neutral but they sent a ship to Cuba to pick up Americans in case there was any danger and to protect U.S. business interests. The ship was called the "USS Maine." 

• On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded near Havana, Cuba and killed about 265 Americans. It was not clear what caused the explosion. Spain said they didn’t do it. The explosion caught the attention of newspapers. It caught so much attention that the U.S. President McKinley decided to declare war on Spain.

This is what newspaper articles in the U.S. were saying about the ship explosion in Cuba.

Open Ended

What words/phrases from the newspaper article might create strong (-) emotions in Americans against Spain?

List out at least 3 words/phrases! You may have to ZOOM into the article!

Yellow Journalism: a type of news reporting that SENSATIONALIZES ( heightens, edits, and manipulates) the facts and truth in order to have a desired effect on the reader.

This newspaper article is a form of YELLOW JOURNALISM -->

Multiple Choice

What does Yellow Journalism mean?

• A. Journalism that focuses on negatively portraying politicians

• B. Truthful news reporting

• C. News reporting that changes the facts to have an impact on the reader

• D. Journalism that focuses on danger

What actually happened to the U.S.S. Maine in Cuba?

• Spain did not blow up the U.S.S. Maine, there was an engine malfunction on the ship that led to the explosion.

• Because of the War, the U.S. received temporary control of Cuba and ownership of Puerto Rico, and the Philippines because they were all under the control of Spain before this. (Think about it, when a nation wins a war, they WIN the territories of the country they fought).

• This war established the United States as an World Power

Open Ended

Do newspapers (and other forms of media) have the responsibility to report as accurately as possible?