Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

The term, Yellow Journalism, is rare to hear nowadays but it's the same kind of so-called, news, reporting from back in the time when the color of cheap newsprint was yellowish. We've had a resurgence of Yellow Journalism in this country and there doesn't seem to be anyway back short of legislation. Why the change back to times past? Well, since the goal of journalism in a Capitalist economy is to make money, it must be a product, and all products must trigger some basic human urge: entertainment, outrage, greed, curiosity, lust, altruism, sentimentality; and news was no different when newspapers started out, and stayed like that for most of their history. In fact, it’s remarkable “news” was ever not sensationalized, but for a few decades, news journalists defined objectivity as part of a new professionalism. It worked as long as all news outlets voluntarily followed the spirit of the concept but when violating it led to them dominating the market and even controlling politics, all restraint was lifted and news sunk back into the tabloid pit.

Unfortunately, the possible alternative of regulating and subsidizing news results in State propaganda. At least in the Market, the egregious rags have to make a profit or they go broke, something a State-sponsored media would never have to worry about, so the indoctrination would be even worse. The fact that Yellow Journalism went away once is proof that it's possible for unbiased news to exist in a Market-driven system; however, since then wealth has concentrated so much in America that gaining control of a media outlet just for the influence it wields, means it doesn't have to be fiscally responsive, only politically expedient.