This has become over the years an all purpose media anecdote. Useful when describing any number of media sins and shortcomings. Including the scourge of fake news. So what are we talking about here . What are media smiths . These are prompt innoceinent stt are often retold, but which under spjute acrutiny show it by exaggerated media myths. In a way theyre cousins to fake news. They are cases of fake news that ma ma disguised for many years. Theyre like the junk food of journalism. Delicious, alluring, but not wholesome or healthy. The junk food of journalism. Some of the features of media myths, these invariably are pithy tales, short and to the point, almost always simplistic. And of course they are mediacentric. They involve around media, media actors, journalists. Theyre easily remembered, easily retold they are almost too good not to be true. These are some of the defining features. They almost always place journalists at the center of the action. At the center of important events, and do so in a decisive way for good or evil. For good or for evil. And this an ecdote that were discussing today, this smith that were deconstructing, is often cite d as evidence that this reporter brought about the spanishamerican war. What are examples of other media smiths, the furnish the war anecdote is hardly the only media smith out there. One of the most tenacious and popular is the notion that woodward and bernstein through their reporteding brought down the corrupt presidency of Richard Nixon in 1974. Another is that Walter Cronkite in an onair assessment of the war in vietnam, declared the United States mill tire be mired in stalemate. An assess many that supposedly swung Public Opinion in the United States against the war. Another example revolved around the famous forecast of the napalm girl. It was taken by an Associated Press photographer. It showed the effects on civilians, particularly young children, of a napalm bombing of their village in south vietnam. The forecast was so powerful and so vivid that it helped to ra hasten an end. And now, the vow to furnish the war with spain. Now is an important anecdote. This is an Important Media myth to address and debunk because if this tale is true. If this is accurate, it suggests and points to powerful effects by the news media. So powerful they could bring about a war that the country otherwise would not have fought nap is the implication here here this vow to furnish the war. The war with spain did take place. It was a brief and decisive conflict, it confirmed the United States as an international power. They defeated spanish forces in the philippines and in the caribbean. The effect of the war was to oust spain, and to leave the United States a colonial power, ruling far away lands like the philippines. The United States became a colonial power after the spanish american war. This was a decisive conflict for the country. This an ek dont about furnish the war with spain intoes up off. Just earlier this month, fox news said William Randolph hearst once famously said you furnish the pictures, ill furnish the war. Cnn recently invoked this tale. And over the years the washington post, politico, and other public cases have used this as if it was true. Famous authors, among though that have also invoked this anecdo anecdote. So before we get into the deconstruction of this media myth, it is important toe understand who is whom here. Who are the actors . Who are the principal players . Who are the individuals who really mattered in this making of a media myth. And well start with William Randolph hearst. He was a newspaper publisher. He came after a successful stint in San Francisco where he ran the examiner. Hearst was the son of a wealthy california minor. A guy that struck it reach in the silver mines out west. He was well to do. Privileged we would say today, and came to new york to run to acquire and run the new york journal. Then a more abound newspaper. And under hearst control, the newspaper took off and it became one of the most popular daily newspapers in history. His plan was to begin or expand his empire. Success in new york signaled success elsewhere for hearst. By the 1930s, he is a big time newspaper baron and media baron. As well as radio stations and interests in Film Production companies. Hearsts start into the big time came at the end of the 19th century in new york. While in new york, he developed what came to be called yellow journalism. Often yellow jourminalism is characterized these days with synonymous with sensational stream of the news. It was far more than sensational treatment of the news, it was a genera characterized by distinctive features including large headlines. Sometimes they would stretch across the front page. Imaginative use of graphics was another characteristic feature of yellow journalism as it was practiced in new york and elsewhere in new york and elsewhere for the late 19th century. Imaginative use of illustrations is another feature of this genera. The newspapers were very dull, very boring, their layouts were very gray. Did not make use of big headlines, did not make use of graphic images or, later, photographs. Yellow journalism was characterized by a tireless, self promotion, indicated by the use of the newspapers name prominently in the newspaper, particularly on the front page. This is a copy of the new york journal from october 1897 in which the newspaper is announcing the successful jail break in havana of a 19yearold political prisoner of cisneros. Its been largely lost in american journalism this day but was a big deal back then because hurst and his new york journal helped to organize the jail break of evangelina cesneros and smuggle her aboard a passenger steamer dressed as a boy, and the steamer arrived in new york city where she was received in a tu tumultuous reception organized by hurst and his newspaper. The case of evangelina cesneros was a bigtime example of the activism of William Hurst and his newspapers. Again, this front page characterizes some of the features, some of the defining features of yellow journalism. Big, bold display, photographs, self promotion. Tendency toward activism. In fact, hurst called his journalism activism. Instead of just reporting the news he said journalism had a duty to step in and take an active role to right the wrongs of society, the journalism of action. Also in the lineup of who is whom is frederick wilmington, wellknown artist of the sculptor, sketch artist. Sometimes did newspaper work, illustrations, but didnt think reproduction quality of newspapers at the time in the 18th century was all that good. Was all that good. Also in the lineup of who was whom around this media myth is Richard Harding davis. Richard harding davis. He is a conceited but wellknown playwright who becomes famous. Soldiers of fortune still in print, you can still get it through amazon. Its sort of a romance novel in which he sort of depicted himself as a central character. Richard harding davis. He was the son of a newspaper editor and his mother was a writer, Rebecca Harding davis was her name. Remington and tavs were assigned by hurst to go to cube camera and they were there to cover the rebellion in cuba against colonial spanish rule. That was their assignment. Hurst, as he would want to do, paid generously for the talent. He paid Richard Harding davis 3,000 for one months work. In 1897 money, that was a lot. Today its worth about 90,000. 90,000 for a months work. Hurst pays generously for topline talent. Also in the lineup of who was whom in this myth, the first to mention this anecdote, creelman, the first to report exchange of telegrams, you furnish the pictures and ill furnish the war. His memoir in 1901, here is a passage from the book titled on the great highway. Its an anecdote he doesnt make a big deal about. He mentions it in passing as a way to pay tribute to, as a way to praise, sing the praises of hearsts activist journalism, hearsts yellow journalism. Creelman writes remington was instructed to remain in cuba until the war began, but after a short while, he sent hearst a cable saying everything is quiet. There is no trouble here. There will be no war. I wish to return. In reply, according to creelman, in a telegram he says please remain. You furnish the pictures, ill furnish the war. Creelman offers no notations for this anecdote. His book has no footnotes, no citations. He does not explain then nor after that how he learned about this purported exchange between hearst and remington. This is important because at the time creelman had a reputation of being unreliable journalist. He witnessed a massacre by japanese forces, he said, a situation that was later investigated by the u. S. State department and found to be a gross exaggeration. During the spanishamerican war, toward the end of the war, creelman claimed he led a climatic charge of u. S. Forces, that he was at the head of the charge of u. S. Forces against the spanish position near santiago to cuba, the second largest city in cuba. This was a climactic charge and claimed he led the way, emblematic of his tendency to exaggerate. His embrace of hyperbole. He was pompous, this guy. Heads of state, european royalty, he would interview. Often in these writeups of interviews they were not q and a but a long, lengthy account of the interview in which creelman would talk more about himself than about the subjects of his interview. When this exchange would have taken place, creelman is not with remington. He is not with hearst in new york city. Creelman is in spain, in madrid on assignment for the new york journal. That tells us that he could not have learned about this exchange of telegrams firsthand, that he only knew of it secondhand or he made it up, that he exaggerated this account. And it really is ironic that one of american journalisms bestknown anecdotes, one of journalisms most repeated tales is based on and owes its existence to the unsubstantiated ruminations of an unreliable journalist, james creelman. As i say, at this exchange between hearst and remington took place, it would have taken place in january of 1897, which was the only time that remington was on cuba before the spanishamerican war, which began in april 1898. At the time that remington and Richard Harding davis went to cuba, there was an islandwide rebellion going on against Spanish Colonial rule. This was an arms struggle that had begun in 1895. By the time they got there, it was two years old. It was two years old. This rebellion was the precursor to the spanishamerican war of 1898. A conflict that had had been raging since 1895. And that rebellion, the one that began in 1895 was the latest in a succession of uprise iings by cu cubans against Spanish Colonial rule. Spanish response was vigorous and expensive. Spain sent 200,000 troops to the island to try to quell this rebellion. All telegraphic traffic to and from cuba and it also instituted what turned out to be a very cruel policy, reconcentration. Reconcentration. Reconcentration led to a humanitarian disaster on cuba by 1897 and early 1898. Reconcentration was an attempt by the spanish authorities to deprive the cuban rebels of support from the countryside, of support from the cuban population. Under reconcentration, old men, women and children were herded by the spanish into fortified centers on cuba to deprive them of support, to keep them from supporting the cuban rebels. In these garrison towns, they suffered immensely. Suffered immensely. Starvation, disease ran rampant. Thousands of cuban noncombatants died because of this policy. And by 1898, early 1898 cuba was the scene of a fullblown humanitarian disaster. So it was against this backdrop, war in cuba, that davis and remington together arrive in havana and proceed immediately to try to get the lay of the land. One of their first meetings was with the butcher, the butcher. Who, you may ask, was the butcher . He was general wiler, the spanish commander, military commander on cuba at the time. He was the one who instituted and enforced the policy of reconcentration, of removing cuban noncombatants to garrison towns where they suffered immensely. General wiler was known in the u. S. Media, u. S. Newspapers as the butcher, as the butcher. Butcher wiler. The original plan of davis and remington was to cross spanish lines and to hook up with the cuban insurgents, the cuban rebels. That was the objective, the prime objective of their assignment to cuba, to cross spanish lines, meet up with the cuban insurgents. Its the plan that fell through, a plan that had no hope of going anywhere. So they traveled around a bit in northern cuba from havana and after six days, they split ways. They part ways. Remington is a big guy. He suffers in the tropics. He didnt have a good time there. Davis is a tough guy to work with anyway. He doesnt like working in pairs, as he says. They split ways, they part ways after six days on the island. Davis remains. Remington makes arrangements to return home, go back to the states. Go back to new york on board the passenger steamer the seneca. And upon his return home, the journal begins prominent, prominent publication of remingtons sketches. Remingtons sketches of the cuban conflict. And they praise these sketches and headlines, saying they are the work of a gifted artist, frederick remington. So before debunking, before getting into the details of the debunking of this anecdote, of this media myth, lets recap real quickly. Theres a rebellion going on in cuba. Remington is there just six days. The first account of the exchange between supposed exchange between hearst and remington comes more than four years later in 1901. In creelmans book, which contains no documentation of how he learned about it, the source of this purported exchange. And creelman is the lone person to come up with this originally. This tale, you furnish the pictures and ill furnish the war, lives on despite a nearly complete absence of supporting documentation, as is mentioned in our core text this semester. A nearly complete absence of supporting documentation. So to the debunking. Hearst denied that there was ever such an exchange, that he sent such a message to remington. Remington himself apparently never spoke publicly about this. And the telegrams themselves, the artifacts that are central to this whole story have never turned up. The artifacts have never turned up. But there are other factors. Another factor is that its il logical. This whole tale is il logical on its face because why would hearst send remington and davis why would he have sent a telegram to remington vowing to furnish the war if war, the rebellion of cuba, was the very reason he sent them, remington and davis, to cuba in the first place . Its il logical. Given the context of whats going on in cuba at the time, hearsts vow to furnish the war makes no sense. Its il logical. Its illogical. Also this tale does not account for the censors. One of the reactions of spain was to impose rigid censorship. They are controlling all incoming and outgoing telegraphic traffic. Why would spanish censors have let such an incendiary message flow freely between hearst and remington . Theres no logic to this either. The censors certainly would have intercepted this message, had it been sent. They would have intercepted it and called attention to it, as an example of yankee meddling in spanishcuban affairs. They certainly would have done this. They certainly would have not allowed this message from hearst to remington to flow frely as creelmans account implies. Nor does this tale account for William Randolph hearst and his likely reaction. Hes a young, wealthy newspaper publisher. According to creelman, hearsts message to remington was please remain. You furnish the pictures and ill furnish the war. But remington does not remain in cuba. He returns after six days and hearsts newspaper gives remingtons sketches bigtime treatment, prominent display. Prominent display in hearsts new york journal. It seems unlikely that hearst would have tolerated this kind of insubordination, that he would have tolerated, that he would have put up with what was a clear disregard of his instructions to remain in cuba. The tale is also contradicted by the writings of davis and remington. In the weeks and months afterwards describe scenes of violence and upheaval on cuba. Dafbs, in one of his letters home, states quite clearly, there is war here. Make no mistake. There is war here. And remember according to creelman, remingtons telegram to hearst said everything is quiet in cuba, but his own c contempora contemporarioco contemporaneous work. He was very close with his mother, kept in touch with his family by mail very often. His letters are kept in an archive at the university of virginia charlottesville. His letters to his family about this time offer no support for creelmans account about why remington left. That everything was quiet. None of davis letters home suggested that remington wanted to leave on the pretext that everything was quiet in cuba. He gave somewhat related versions, three somewhat related versions as to why remington went home. One of those versions was that remington had obtained all the material he needed for his sketches and decided to go. That was contained, that message, the first bullet point, that message was contained in a letter that davis wrote and remington carried with him back to the states. Remington presumably would have had an opportunity to read the letter. Another version, related version that davis wrote was that remington went home at davis request, that he didnt like working in pairs, that remington was holding him up all the time. He describes remington as a big, blundering bear. Asked him to go. Said he was happy that remington did leave. A third and somewhat related version that davis included in his letters to his family was that remington got scared. He became frightened by the prospect of having to cross spanish Military Lines into cubanheld territory and backed out. And backed out. The second and third versions, if you will, were contained in private letters that davis sent to his family. In any case, these letters offer powerful and contemporaneous challenges to creelmans account that everything is quiet and that remington went back home because there would be no war. Of these elements in the debunking, which do you find most persuasive . Most persuasive and why . That hearst denied having sent this message and remington never spoke about it apparently, that the telegrams themselves, the artifacts, have