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HEARST: Lampooning the King of Yellow Journalism

October 17, 2024–March 2, 2025
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, publisher William Randolph Hearst used the tools of "yellow journalism"—sensationalist stories of scandal, sex and violence—to sell papers and forge a powerful media empire. Hearst's attempts to sway public opinion and campaign for high office sparked decades-long criticism, with caricaturists ridiculing him in satirical cartoons. This installation examines Hearst through the lens of this backlash, which culminated in a thinly veiled account of his life in Orson Welles's 1941 film Citizen Kane, released in the twilight of the media mogul's career.

Place:
3rd Floor
Curators:
Florida International University history students Gisselle Mestre Delgado and Thiago Abad-Sanchez under the guidance of Francis Xavier Luca.
Credit:
HEARST: Lampooning the King of Yellow Journalism is organized by The Wolfsonian–FIU.

 

Explore the Exhibition

 

Object Highlights

View or download the full exhibition checklist.

A political cartoon from "Judge" magazine portrays a figure labeled "Hearst" dressed in armor and resembling Don Quixote. He holds a lance labeled "Yellow Journalism." In the background, a castle is visible with a stout figure carrying large sacks labeled "Campaign Contributions." The caption reads, "Hope for 'The Common People'! The modern Don Quixote starts out on a campaign of political conquest."

Magazine spread, “Hope for ‘The Common People’!,” from Judge, May 18, 1907
Emil Flohri (American, 1869–1938), illustrator
New York City
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Francis Xavier Luca and Clara Helena Palacio Luca, XC2024.01.15

A sheet of four perforated green stamps, each displaying an illustration of an octopus with a human face labeled "Hearst." The octopus has tentacles labeled with words such as "Gangsterism," "Anti-Semitism," "Nazism," "Ward Mongers," and "Anti-Laborism." The text on each stamp reads, "To keep the Hearst octopus from strangling the Chicago Newspaper Guild on strike." Each stamp has a denomination of "10¢" in the top left corner.

Stickers, To Keep the Hearst Octopus from Strangling the Chicago Newspaper Guild on Strike, 1938
Chicago Newspaper Guild, Chicago, publisher
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Francis Xavier Luca and Clara Helena Palacio Luca, XC2024.06.14.01.16

Cover of the book “Aesop Said So” featuring a stylized illustration of a man in a suit raising his hand in front of an American flag. His hand is dripping with a dark substance, which also marks some of the stars on the flag. The title is displayed in large, white capital letters on a red background at the top, with the subtitle 'Lithographs by Hugo Gellert' in smaller white text beneath.

Book, Aesop Said So, 1936
Hugo Gellert (American, b. Hungary, 1892–1985), illustrator
Covici Friede Publishers, New York City, publisher
The Wolfsonian–FIU, The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection, 83.2.812

Recommended Resources

Readings

  • Marion Davies. The Times We Had: Life With William Randolph Hearst. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975.
  • David Nasaw. The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
  • Louis Pizzitola. Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
  • William Andrew Swanberg. Citizen Hearst: A Biography of William Randolph Hearst. New York: Scribner, 1961.

Videos

  • Citizen Kane. Directed by Orson Welles, RKO Pictures, 1941.
  • The Hearst and Davies Affair. Directed by David Lowell Rich, ABC Circle Films, 1985.
  • American Experience: The Battle Over Citizen Kane. Directed by Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein, Lennon Documentary Group, 1996.
  • The Cat’s Meow. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, Lions Gate Films, 2001.
  • Mank. Directed by David Fincher, Netflix International Pictures, 2020.
  • American Experience: Citizen Hearst. Part 1 directed by Amanda Pollak, Part 2 directed by Stephen Ives, PBS, 2021.