yellow journalism

British  

noun

1. the type of journalism that relies on sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract readers

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yellow journalism Cultural  

1. Inflammatory, irresponsible reporting by newspapers. The phrase arose during the 1890s, when some American newspapers, particularly those run by William Randolph Hearst, worked to incite hatred of Spain, thereby contributing to the start of the Spanish-American War. Newspapers that practice yellow journalism are called yellow press.

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Etymology

Origin of yellow journalism

C19: perhaps shortened from the phrase Yellow Kid journalism, referring to the Yellow Kid, a cartoon (1895) in the New York World, a newspaper having a reputation for sensationalism

Example Sentences

The video recalls the yellow journalism of William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal — only now, what once took hours to print and eventually reached thousands can be created in seconds and seen by millions.

From Salon

Our generation has redefined the old slur “yellow journalism.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He accused the Telegraph of yellow journalism and “effectively putting words in one’s mouth.”

From Los Angeles Times

If the yellow journalism of the 19th century can be defined by the sensationalistic “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality, pink slime is the opposite.

From Washington Post

That column was cited in a Wall Street Journal opinion essay a month or so later accusing The Times of “a new kind of yellow journalism.”

From Los Angeles Times