The New Freedom of the Press: Propaganda and Yellow Journalism
Coronavirus, scandal, and fear rule the airwaves in a new form of psychological warfare
There’s a fantasy many writers entertain in the deep recesses of the mind. For those who pen fiction, it’s something like joining the ranks of famous novelists. We want to be the next Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, David Foster Wallace, or Cormac McCarthy. These larger-than-life authors are not only household names, but are winners or nominees of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer, however, isn’t reserved solely for fiction, but encompasses contributions to the public service sector and investigative journalism. Reporting that covered Nixon’s Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers are some of the most well-known moments in American history that benefitted the public. Just the nomination for a Pulitzer is a feat and seen as a prestigious honor. But that’s also what makes the award so strange. The prize is named after a man with an ethical reporting record equivalent to that of a tabloid rag.
The award is named after the news media giant, Joseph Pulitzer, after he made a large donation to Columbia University. Years before the Pulitzer Prize became the standard for journalistic integrity and success, however, Pulitzer used his newspaper to spread…
