SPANISH ATTACK THE U.S.A.!!!

The above article describes a tragedy that hit the United State. The USS Maine exploded and 258 men were  killed in it. At the top the question is asked, "Who Destroyed The Maine?." The paper claims that naval officers believe that it destroyed either by a Spanish mine or a torpedo launched by the Spanish army. It offers   a reward of $50,000 for turning in who committed the crime.  It boldly states "Destruction of the Warship Maine was the Work of an Enemy" It is a very emotion provoking piece that attempts to raise and anger in the readers against the "enemy" that is Spain.

The article above is what is known as "yellow journalism." It was created to incite the readers to support a war against Spain by making them seem like monsters. It contains very little well-researched material. Yellow journalism was created by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. We now know that it is likely that the cause of the explosion on the main was due to an unreported fire in one of the coal bunkers and not by a war mine as stated by the paper.

Frank Luther Mott (1941) defines yellow journalism in terms of five characteristics:

1. scare headlines in huge print, often of minor news
2. lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings
3. use of faked interviews, misleading headlines, pseudo-science, and a parade of false learning from so-called experts
4. emphasis on full-color Sunday supplements, usually with comic strips (which is now normal in the U.S.)
5. dramatic sympathy with the "underdog" against the system.

The above piece is not journalism. It is purposely deceitful and meant to incite a feeling in the readers with a disregard for the truth.

The core biblical truth of Evangelism (Social Science) is God has specific directions (absolute law) concerning man’s relationship to both Himself and his fellow man. Obviously being deceitful in ones work and writing and doing things that are purposely meant to lie to people is not part of God's law for man. By both journalistic standard and God's standards this type of behavior is not acceptable.