The end of the 19th century. This has become over the years an allpurpose media antidote. Useful in describing any number of media sins and shortcomings including the scourge of fake news including the scourge of fake news. So what are we talking about here . What are media myths . These are prominent stories about and or by the news media that are widely known and often retold but which under scrutiny, under examination dissolve as apockricful or widely exaggerated media myths. And in a way media myths are cousins to fake news. Maybe thought of cases of fake news that have massac masquerad accurate for many years. They can be thought of as the junk food of journalism. Appealing, alluring, delicious perhaps but not terribly fulsome and not terribly healthy. The junk food of journalism. Some of the features of media myths, these invariably are pithy tales, succinct, short, to the point. And of course theyre media centric. They revolve around media, media actors, journalists. Theyre easily remembered, easily retold. Theyre almost too good not to be true. These are some of the defining characters, some of the defining features of media myths. 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 evil. And this antidote were discussing today, this media myth well be deconstructing is often cited as evidence. That William Randolph hurst, a young newspaper publisher from new york city fomented or brought about the spanishamerican war. It is as i say a tenacious often invoked media myth. What are some examples of other media myths . This, of course, the furnish the war antidote is hardly the only media myth out there. One of the most tenacious and popular is the notion that woodward and burpstein, two young reporters for the Washington Post threw their dog at reporting brought down the corruption of Richard Nixon in 1974. Another wellknown media myth is the notion that Walter Chronkite in an onair assessment of the war in vietnam declared the United States military to be mired in stalemate in february 1958, mired in stalemate. An assessment that supposedly swung Public Opinion in the United States against the war. Another example of a media myth revolves around the famous photograph of the napalm girl, taken in vietnam what was then South Vietnam by an Associated Press photographer in june of 1972. The image show the effects on civilians, particularly Young Children of an errant napalm bombing on their village in what was then saugt vietnam. The photograph supposedly was so powerful and so vivid that it helped hasten an end to the vietnam war. And of course the media myth today, the media myth de jure is that surrounding William Randolph hursts reported vow to furnish war with spain. This is an Important Media myth to address and debunk because of this tale is true, if this is accurate, it suggests and points to powerful effects by the news media. So powerful that they can bring about a war that the country otherwise wouldnt have fought. That is the implication here of this tale, of this antidote, of this claim, this purported vow to furnish the war. Thal war with spain did take place. Over about four months in 1898 beginning in april and ending in august. Theres a brief but decisive conflict that ushered the United States onto the world stage. It confirmed the United States as an international power. The United States defeated spanish forces in the philippines and in the caribbean. The effect of the war was to oust spain from cuba and its other caribbean possessions and to leave the United States, a colonial power ruling far away land such as the philippines, puerto rico, guam. The United States became a colonial power after the spanishamerican war. This was a decisive conflict for the country. This antidote about furnish the war with spain, first purported vow pops up often, pops up often. Just earlier this month fox news in an article about fake news declared the granddaddy of dishonest journalism, William Randolph hurst, once famously wrote to an illustrator you furnish the pictures and ill furnish the war. The History News Network a few months ago invoked this antidote as if it were true. So too did the pittsburgh post gazette, as we read for today cnn recently invoked this tale. And over the years the Washington Post, politico, forbes are among the publications that have used and invoked this antidote again in incredulous fashion as if it were true. Famous authors are among those who have also invoked this antidote. So before we get into the deconstruction of this media myth its important to understand whos whom here. Who are the actors, who are the principle players . Who are the individuals who really mattered in this in this making of a media myth . And well start with William Randolph hurst. William Randolph Hurst at the time was a 32yearold newspaper publisher in new york city. He had come in to new york in 1895 after a successful stint in San Francisco where he ran the San Francisco examiner. Hurst was the son of a wealthy california miner, a guy who had struck it rich in the silver mines out west. Hurst was welltodo, privileged we would say today, and came to new york to run to acquire and run the new york journal. And under hursts control the newspaper took off. It became one of the most popular daily newspapers in new york city. Hursts plan was to begin or expand his emergent media empire. He realized that he had no chance of establishing himself as a media baron unless he was able to be successful in new york city. Success in new york signaled success elsewhere for hurst. And by the 1930s william randol Randolph Hearst is a big time media baron. And his start into the big time came in new york at the end of the 19th century. While in new york he developed what came to be called yellow journalism, yellow journalism. Often yellow journalism is characterized especially these days as synonymous with sensational treatment of the news. As it was practiced in the late 19th century, yellow journalism was far more than the sensational treatment of the news. It was a distinct genre characterized by a number of distinctive features. Including large headlines. Sometimes they would stretch across the page, the front page. Imaginative use of graphics was practiced in new york and elsewhere in the late 19th century. Imaginative use of illustrations was another feature of this genre. At the time most newspapers were very dull, very boring. Their layouts were gray and they did not make use of big headlines. They did not make use of graphic images or later photographs. Yellow journalism was characterized by a tireless selfpromotion indicated by the use of the newspapers name prominently in the newspaper. On the front page. The newspaper announcing the successful jailbreak in havana of a 19yearold cisneros. It was a big deal event back then. Because hearst helped organize the jailbreak of cisneros, helped to break this political prisoner out of jail in havana 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 tumultuous reception organized by hearst and his newspaper. The case of evangelina cesneros was a bigtime example of the activism of William Randolph hearst and his newspapers. Again, this front page characterizes some of the features, some of the defining features of yellow journalism. Big, bold display, photographs, selfpromotion, a tendency toward activism. In fact, hearst called his journalism activism. Instead of just reporting the news he said journalism had a role, had an important function in stepping in and taking a role, an active role, to right the wrongs of society, the journalism of action. Also in the lineup of who is whom is frederick remington, wellknown artist, sculptor, sketch artist. Sometimes did newspaper work, illustrations, but didnt think reproduction quality of newspapers at the time in the 19th century 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 writer and playwright who becomes famous. In the spanishamerican war a year or so after this myth took hold. He was a writer, and one of his first books was titled soldiers in 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 davis were assigned by hearst to go to cuba, and they were there to cover the rebellion on cuba against Spanish Colonial rule. That was their assignment. Hearst, as he was wont 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. Hearst 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 at the he telegrams, the first to mention 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. So this is the passage. 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 writes he was as good as his word. 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 claimed in 1894 that he witnessed a massacre by japanese forces. Later investigated by the state department and found to be a gross exaggeration. A gross exaggeration. During the spanishamerican war in 1898 creelman claimed that he led a climactic charge of u. S. Forces that he was at the head of the charge of u. S. Forces against a spanish position near the second largest city in cuba. He claimed he was the guy leading the way. An account that nobody really embraced but nonetheless is emblematic of his tendency to exaggerate. His embrace of hyperbole. He was pompous, this guy. James creelman. One of hess specialties was interviewing prominent people, the pope, heads of state, european royalty. And often in these interviews, his writeups of the interviews, they were not q a but was a long, lengthy account of the interview in which creelman would talk more about himself than about the subjects of his interview. In 1897, january 1897, when this exchange between remington and hearst would have taken place, creelman is not with remington. He is not with hearst in new york city. Creelman is in spain. Hes in madrid on assignment for the joshg journal. That tells us that he could not have learned about this exchange of telegrams firsthand, that he only knew about it secondhand or that 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. It was the precursor to the United States entry into the conflict in cuba, 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 uprisings by cubans against Spanish Colonial rule. Cuba was an important possession of spain. Had been for centuries. Spanish response was vigorous and expensive. Spain sent 200,000 troops to the island to try to quell this rebellion. Spain also imposed rigorous censorship of all telegraphic traffic to and from cuba and it also instituted what turned out to be a very cruel policy called 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. News 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 about it. 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 illogical. This whole tale is illogical 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 illogical. Given the context of whats going on in cuba at the time, hearsts vow to furnish the war makes no sense. Its illogical. Its illogical. Also, this tale does not account for the censors. Remember one of the reactions of spain was to impose rigid censorship on all incoming and outgoing telegraphic traffic to cuba. Spain is running the show in cuba, and 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 spanish ou cuban affairs. They certainly would have done this. They certainly would have not allowed this message from hearst to recommending remington to flow freely 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 i