Yellow Journalism

[Wilson Gray]

On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 7:33 PM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Yellow Journalism
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It is generally accepted that the term "yellow journalism" came into use in=
>  or around early 1897 and derived its name from the Yellow Kid, a character=
>  in the comic strip Hogan's Alley in the New York World.  What, then, to ma=
> ke of this earlier variant on the phrase?  (Spoiler alert:  I'm going to ar=
> gue that the Yellow Kid's role is overblown.)
>
> The earlier example is from the (Bangor, Maine) Whig & Courier, Oct. 11, 18=
> 83, at 2, col. 1 (19th Century U.S. Newspapers).  The piece is too long to =
> quote in full, so I quote selectively.
>
> <<"YELLOW COVERED" JOURNALISM.
>
> To a paragraph of ours expressing amusement that the _Commercial_ was cried=
>  on our streets Tuesday evening as having "A full account of the Ohio elect=
> ion," before anybody had the slightest idea of the result in that State, th=
> e Central street paper retorts by characterizing us as "the old dried up an=
> d disgruntled WHIG, "the muddled WHIG," etc., and says the people who bough=
> t the _Commercial_ "did not expect to find a complete statement of the resu=
> lt before the votes were counted." Still, it was considered by its propriet=
> ors an "enterprising" thing to have their paper hawked about the street and=
>  imposed upon the public as containing a "full report" of an election, "bef=
> ore," as itself acknowledges, "the votes were counted."
>
> There was nothing "old," or "dried up" about that sort of smartness, and it=
>  simply suggests the wide difference that prevails between some people and =
> some other folks in regard to what is proper and honest and decent in journ=
> alism.  A recent issue of the Boston _Post_ furnishes so apt an illustratio=
> n and so authoritative a proclamation of the peculiar idea upon which the _=
> Commercial_ is conducted, that we are tempted to quote some pertinent extra=
> cts.  In its editorial column, the _Post_, although a strongly Democratic p=
> aper, feels compelled to plainly and vigorously denounce the disgraceful, p=
> ictorial campaign pamphlet put forth by Governor Butler, which it declares =
> to be _"the vilest book that has ever been openly printed in the State,"_ .=
>  . . .
>
> [T]he news columns of the _Post_ of Tuesday, Oct. 9, contain an interview w=
> ith "Hon. Joseph P. Bass, of Bangor" . . . as follows:
>
> "What do you think about the Governor's picture book?"
>
> ". . . In my judgment the book will MAKE BUTLER LOTS OF VOTES.  You see the=
>  case is about as it was with a big publisher down in Maine.  Somebody said=
>  to him one day, 'Mr. ____, you are making a big mistake; you ought to hire=
>  some first class contributors and editors and get out a better class of li=
> terature.' 'Now, look here,' said the publisher, 'I know more about this bu=
> siness than you do.  I HAVE FIGURED THIS THING ALL OUT and I find that wher=
> e one of my patrons wants a higher toned book and a higher toned paper, 20 =
> OF THEM PREFER THE YELLOW COVERED BOOKS AND THE SENSATIONAL STORY PAPER.' I=
> t's just so with Butler's Tewksbury work; where one person would prefer tha=
> t the pictures be left out and the text amended there are 20 who would say =
> give us the whole story and along with it THE RATS, HIDES AND CORPSES. . . =
> ."
>
> A volume of comment would not suffice to portray more clearly the opinion o=
> f the _Commercial's_ manager as to the sort of literature which "will sell,=
> " and his complimentary view of the intelligence and taste of the public.  =
> It is perhaps fortunate that even in this age of "yellow covered" enterpris=
> e, there are some old-fashioned publishers of newspapers who are not willin=
> g to put a mortgage on their souls by peddling out their self-respect and m=
> anhood for pennies on the public streets.>>
>
> Note the reference to "yellow covered books" in the quotation from the Hon.=
>  Joseph P. Bass.  The Century Dictionary (1889 - 1891) defines "yellow-cove=
> red literature" as "trashy or sensational fiction, periodicals, etc.: in al=
> lusion to the form in which such matter was formerly commonly issued."  Sim=
> ilarly, Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) defines "yellow-cove=
> red literature" as "cheap sensational novels and trashy magazines; -- forme=
> rly so called from the usual color of their covers."
>
> "Yellow journalism" became an extremely popular term shortly after its use =
> in or around January 1897 and, while the 1883 example from the Whig & Couri=
> er is striking for its use of "yellow-covered journalism" to have the same =
> meaning, I doubt if it played any role in the success of the term.  I belie=
> ve it does, however, illuminate the term's history.  It seems to me that wh=
> en Ervin Wardman referred to "yellow-kid journalism," he was not inventing =
> a wholly new phrase, but instead making a play on words with "yellow-covere=
> d literature" and the well-known Yellow Kid.  In other words, "yellow journ=
> alism" is not so-called because of the Yellow Kid, but follows directly fro=
> m the earlier "yellow-covered" books/literature.
>
>
> John Baker
>
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I'm persuaded. IMO, the standard, "Yellow Kid" derivation makes no
sense. Not that it necessarily has to, of course. Sometimes, you
simply have to have been there.

--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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