Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain
This example was recommended by Jim Luke.
In 1897, Frederic Remington cabled Hearst from Cuba that there was no war on which to report. Hearst responded, "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war."
On the 15 February 1898, there was an explosion of the Battleship Maine while it was in the Havana Harbor. Newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst immediately blamed Spain for the explosion while other newspapers were more cautious. letssaygrace29 does a good job of analyzing the newspaper coverage in her "Yellow Journalism."
Modern historical con census is that the sinking of the Maine was likely caused by a boiler explosion; not because of Spanish sabotage.
At the time of the Spanish-American War, camera technology did not permit battlefield photography. As a result, studios such as the one owned by Thomas Edison would reenact historical events that would be shown in movie theaters. These reenactments—such as "10th U.S. Infantry, 2nd Battalion" [1:23] and "Shooting Captured Insurgents" [:24]—are often confused as real news footage.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Cleary, Sean. "From the Times to the Tomes: Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!." American Experience, Public Broadcasting System. 20 May 2010.
letssaygrace29. "Yellow Journalism." YouTube. 9 Dec. 2012. [5:04]
"Better Late Than Never?: Rickover Clears Spain of the Maine Explosion." The U.S. History Course on the Web. nd. Reprinted from Rickover, Hyman G. How the Battleship Maine Was Destroyed. Washington: Department of the Navy, Naval History Division, 1976. p. 94–97, 104–106.
"Topics in Chronicling America — The Sinking of the Maine." Library of Congress. 3 May 2013. Please note: This article includes links to contemporaneous newspaper articles.
