Narrator: NEWSPAPER-PUBLISHING TITANS JOSEPH PULITZER...
THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR JOURNALISM!
...AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST...
SPREAD THE STORY OVER THE ENTIRE FRONT PAGE.
...GO TO BATTLE IN THE GREATEST CIRCULATION WAR IN HISTORY...
HERE WERE THESE TWO MEN, BOTH CRAZY, DRIVEN, EGOTISTICAL.
"DID YOU SEE THAT IN THE WORLD?!"
IT WAS NO-HOLDS-BARRED.
ETHICS WERE OUT THE WINDOW
BECAUSE THE GOAL WAS TO SELL NEWSPAPERS.
AAH!
Narrator: ...EXPLOITING MURDER...
FIND THE HEAD.
...POLITICAL UNREST...
Shahid: SENSATIONALISM SOLD,
AND EVERYONE KNEW IT.
Narrator: ...THEY WIELD THE POWER
TO NOT JUST TELL HISTORY,
BUT TO SHAPE IT.
HE WANTS A COMPETITION, HE'S GOT ONE.
THEY BOTH REMADE THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE.
NOW THAT'S HOW YOU WRITE A STORY.
THEY TRANSFORMED THAT INDUSTRY,
AND THEY TRANSFORMED AMERICAN LIFE.
WHAT HAPPENED TO "JUST THE FACTS?!"
Narrator: THESE ARE THE EPIC STORIES
OF MEN STRUGGLING FOR SUPREMACY, BUILDING EMPIRES,
AND CHANGING THE COURSE OF AMERICAN HISTORY FOREVER.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
¶¶
POST-CIVIL-WAR AMERICA IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF JOURNALISM.
THERE ARE MORE NEWSPAPERS BEING PUBLISHED THAN EVER BEFORE.
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]
AND YOU DIDN'T GET ANY BIGGER THAN THE NEW YORK WORLD.
YOU JUST DIDN'T.
Narrator: THE NEW YORK WORLD'S PUBLISHER
IS A HUNGARIAN IMMIGRANT NAMED JOSEPH PULITZER.
PULITZER WAS THE PERSON THAT EVERYONE WANTED TO BE.
HIS TYPE OF JOURNALISM --
THAT WAS THE JOURNALISM EVERYONE WANTED TO IMITATE.
THIS IS GREAT DAY FOR JOURNALISM!
GIVE ME PAIN, GIVE ME SUFFERING,
GIVE ME CORRUPTION, SCANDAL, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS!
Narrator: PULITZER'S SUCCESS IS BUILT ON ONE THING --
A FORMULA THAT APPEALS TO THE MASSES,
GIVING HIS READERS WHAT THEY WANT.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT POLITICS.
REMEMBER -- 95% OF OUR READERS
DON'T CARE ABOUT POLITICS AT ALL.
Morris: PULITZER WAS USING THE DRAMA OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
MUCH IN THE SAME WAY DICKENS HAD DONE WITH HIS FICTION.
MURDERS BECAME STORIES.
CORRUPTION BECAME STORIES IN SUCH A WAY
THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE WITHOUT THE PAPER.
EVERY SINGLE DAY,
I WANT THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK TO ASK EACH OTHER,
"DID YOU SEE THAT IN THE WORLD?!"
Narrator: PULITZER BUILDS THE NEW YORK WORLD
INTO THE LEADING NEWSPAPER IN THE COUNTRY,
MAKING THE ONCE DIRT-POOR HUNGARIAN IMMIGRANT
ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN IN AMERICA.
REMEMBER, GENTLEMEN, THE FACTS --
NEVER FORGET THE FACTS.
Shahid: PULITZER WAS THE KING OF THE HILL.
HE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE VERY MUCH COMPETITION,
BECAUSE HIS NEWSPAPER WAS THE ONE TO BEAT.
Narrator: NOBODY WANTS TO BEAT PULITZER
MORE THAN A WEALTHY YOUNG UPSTART
BY THE NAME OF WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST.
SUDDENLY, WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST SHOWS UP,
BUYS A NEWSPAPER FROM WHO?
PULITZER'S OWN BROTHER.
AND NOW IS IN A POSITION TO REALLY CONTEST PULITZER
FOR THE HEART AND SOUL OF JOURNALISM IN NEW YORK CITY.
Campbell: HE'S IN HIS EARLY 30s
WHEN HE TAKES OVER THE NEW YORK JOURNAL,
AND HE COMES IN, AND IT'S LIKE A SEISMIC EVENT, ALMOST,
IN NEW YORK CITY JOURNALISM.
SO, HE'S UPSETTING THE OLD ORDER.
UH, MR. HEARST, WHAT WILL WE SEE IN THE PAPER TOMORROW?
READ ABOUT IT IN THE JOURNAL.
IT'LL BE OUT IN ONLY A FEW HOURS.
AND I, FOR ONE, WON'T SLEEP UNTIL IT ARRIVES.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Shahid: WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, HE WAS LOUDER, HE WAS BOLDER,
AND THAT'S WHEN THE WAR STARTS.
THE FIRST THING THAT HEARST DOES
IS HE LOWERS THE PRICE OF HIS NEWSPAPER, THE JOURNAL,
TO ONE PENNY FROM TWO.
THIS'LL CERTAINLY GET THE PEOPLE'S ATTENTION.
EVERYBODY COME AND GET THE JOURNAL!
IT'S ONLY ONE PENNY!
IT WAS A SHREWD MOVE.
I THINK IT HELPED EXPAND THE MARKET.
Narrator: HEARST HAS OTHER IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BEAT PULITZER.
I DON'T JUST WANT A PAPER THAT SELLS.
I WANT THE BEST REPORTING IN NEW YORK CITY,
WHICH MEANS I NEED THE BEST REPORTERS.
AND I KNOW WHERE TO GET THEM.
HEARST PLANS TO PILFER PULITZER'S BEST JOURNALISTS.
AFTER 13 YEARS AS THE TOP PUBLISHER,
PULITZER IS FACING A CRUEL FATE --
HE'S GOING BLIND.
Morris: PULITZER HAS DETACHED RETINAS.
LIKE BEETHOVEN COULD NO LONGER HEAR HIS MUSIC,
PULITZER COULD NO LONGER READ HIS OWN NEWSPAPER.
Feldstein: HE COULD BARELY SEE.
HE HAD TO WEAR GOGGLES TO SHIELD THE SUN FROM HIS EYES.
WHEN HEARST FIRST COMES TO TOWN,
HE WAS INTERVIEWING AND HIRING AWAY,
WITH A BOTTOMLESS CHECKBOOK, THE BEST REPORTERS
AND THE BEST EDITORS THAT WORKED FOR JOSEPH PULITZER.
AND PULITZER GOES BERSERK.
SIR, YOUR SUNDAY STAFF HAS BEEN HIRED BY HEARST
AT THE JOURNAL.
THAT DAMNED HEARST!
I WILL NOT HAVE MY PAPER RAVAGED.
AND IT'S A DOUBLE-WHAMMY EFFECT,
BECAUSE IT NOT ONLY GETS HIM THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS
THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME,
IT ALSO DEVASTATES HIS COMPETITION, PULITZER.
Narrator: PULITZER FIGHTS BACK.
LOWER THE PRICE OF THE WORLD FROM 2¢ TO 1¢.
HE WANTS A COMPETITION, HE'S GOT ONE!
SEND THE WIRE.
YES, SIR.
THERE IS A REAL WAR ON -- A CIRCULATION WAR,
A WAR OF EGOS, AND REALLY,
A WAR FOR THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM IN NEW YORK CITY.
Narrator: HEARST UPS THE STAKES.
HE INSTALLS NEW,
STATE-OF-THE-ART PRINTING PRESSES
AND IS ABOUT TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE NEWSPAPER BUSINESS.
EDWARDS, I'VE BEEN COLLECTING COMICS SINCE I WAS A BOY,
AND I'M TELLING YOU -- "HOGAN'S ALLEY"
AND "THE YELLOW KID" -- THAT'S A GOLD MINE.
Shahid: "HOGAN'S ALLEY" WAS A COMIC STRIP
IN JOSEPH PULITZER'S WORLD.
AND THE MOST POPULAR KID IN THE WHOLE COMIC STRIP
WAS THIS SNAGGLE-TOOTHED, BALD-HEADED STREET URCHIN
CALLED THE YELLOW KID.
DO WE HAVE THE FINEST COLOR PRESSES AROUND?
Man: WE DO, INDEED, SIR.
YEAH.
BUT WHAT WE DON'T HAVE...
IS THIS.
Narrator: "THE YELLOW KID" IS THE CREATION
OF A BRILLIANT ILLUSTRATOR -- RICHARD OUTCAULT.
RICHARD OUTCAULT IS A NAME NOBODY REMEMBERS TODAY,
BUT HE WAS THE MOST FAMOUS CARTOONIST IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU SET UP A MEETING WITH MR. OUTCAULT
AT THE NICEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN.
YES, SIR, MR. HEARST.
Narrator: FOR HEARST, STEALING "THE YELLOW KID"
ISN'T JUST ABOUT BEATING PULITZER.
IT'S A SIMPLE BUT REVOLUTIONARY IDEA
TO ATTRACT NEW, NON-ENGLISH-SPEAKING READERS
FROM THE SURGE OF IMMIGRANTS POURING INTO NEW YORK.
Feldstein: THE IMMIGRANTS WOULD LEARN ENGLISH
THROUGH THE FUNNIES,
SO THIS WAS A VITAL PART OF GETTING PEOPLE
TO BUY THE NEWSPAPER
AND TO READ THE OTHER NEWS THAT WAS THERE, AS WELL.
Narrator: THE KEY TO HEARST'S PLAN IS TO STEAL
PULITZER'S BIGGEST PRIZE -- THE CARTOONIST RICHARD OUTCAULT.
THE JOURNAL'S ABOUT TO OUTSHINE THE WORLD,
AND YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS --
MORE COMICS, MORE COLOR THAN ANY PAPER IN THE COUNTRY,
AND YOU WILL BE THE STAR ATTRACTION.
IT'S ANOTHER ELEMENT OF HEARST'S ATTEMPT
TO MAKE HIS NEW YORK JOURNAL STAND OUT
IN THIS VERY COMPETITIVE,
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE NEW YORK CITY JOURNALISM MARKET.
SO, WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE FOR YOU TO BRING
YOUR "YELLOW KID" OVER TO ME?
Narrator: HEARST PERSUADES OUTCAULT TO COME TO THE JOURNAL.
WELL, I GUESS IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM,
YOU JUST STEAL WHAT YOU CAN'T BEAT.
IT'S A SUCCESS.
OUTCAULT IS AN INSTANT SUCCESS AT THE NEW YORK JOURNAL.
Narrator: BUT PULITZER FIGHTS BACK.
Shahid: THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT HE DIDN'T OWN
THE COPYRIGHT TO "THE YELLOW KID."
JOSEPH PULITZER DID.
SO, JOSEPH PULITZER HIRED A COMIC-STRIP WRITER
TO DRAW A "YELLOW KID,"
AND SO, YOU HAD TWO "YELLOW KIDS"
IN BOTH OF THE NEWSPAPERS.
AND THIS IS WHAT GIVES BIRTH TO THE TERM "YELLOW JOURNALISM" --
THE FIGHT OVER "THE YELLOW KID"
REPRESENTED THE SPLASHY GRAPHICS
AND THE SPLASHY APPROACH TO NEWS THAT BOTH MEN,
BOTH PUBLISHERS SYMBOLIZED.
Narrator: NOW THAT HEARST HAS STOLEN
PULITZER'S TOP REPORTERS AND ILLUSTRATORS,
HE WANTS TO USE EVENTS ABROAD TO OPEN A NEW FRONT
IN THE ESCALATING PUBLISHING BATTLE, THIS TIME,
IN A COUNTRY JUST OFF AMERICAN SHORES -- CUBA.
Morris: PULITZER FAILS TO PERCEIVE THAT THE CUBAN ATTEMPT
TO BECOME INDEPENDENT FROM SPAIN
IS A STORY THAT WOULD RESONATE WITH AMERICANS.
AND FOR HEARST, IT WAS THE STORY HE BELIEVED
HE COULD RIDE TO POWER UPON.
LET'S SEE WHAT THE GREAT RICHARD HARDING DAVIS
HAS UNCOVERED IN CUBA.
Campbell: SO, HE RECRUITS RICHARD HARDING DAVIS,
A WELL-KNOWN RISING STAR IN AMERICAN JOURNALISM.
Shahid: RICHARD HARDING DAVIS, TO THIS DAY,
IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST WAR CORRESPONDENTS OF ALL TIME.
Narrator: IN 1897, DAVIS WITNESSES, FIRSTHAND,
THE FATE OF A CUBAN INSURGENT TAKEN PRISONER BY THE SPANISH.
Campbell: AND THE INSURGENT WAS A 19-YEAR-OLD CUBAN
WHO WAS BROUGHT TO A FIRING SQUAD ONE MORNING
IN LATE JANUARY 1897.
Narrator: DAVIS'S WRITING PERFECTLY CAPTURES
THE BRUTAL MOMENT.
"RODRIGUEZ HAD A HANDSOME, GENTLE FACE
"OF THE PEASANT TYPE...
"...GREAT WISTFUL EYES AND A MASS OF CURLY BLACK HAIR.
"HE WAS SHOCKINGLY YOUNG FOR SUCH A SACRIFICE...
"...AND LOOKED MORE LIKE A NEAPOLITAN THAN A CUBAN.
"YOU COULD IMAGINE HIM SITTING ON THE QUAY
"AT NAPLES OR GENOA...
"...SHOWING HIS WHITE TEETH AS HE LAUGHED.
[ MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH ] [ GUNS COCKING ]
"HE WILL BE REMEMBERED ONLY AS ONE OF 30 CUBANS
"SHOT AT SANTA CLARA...
...ON EACH SUCCEEDING DAY AT SUNRISE."
[ MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH ] [ GUNSHOTS ]
RICHARD HARDING DAVIS'S DISPATCH ABOUT THE EXECUTION
WAS ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF WELL-WRITTEN JOURNALISM
THAT HEARST'S NEWSPAPER EVER PUBLISHED.
NOW THAT'S HOW YOU WRITE A STORY AND SELL PAPERS.
Narrator: NOT TO BE OUTDONE,
PULITZER BRINGS HIS OWN STAR REPORTER,
SYLVESTER SCOVEL, INTO PLAY.
IF PEOPLE WANT STORIES OF CUBA, THEY SHALL HAVE THEM.
IF THERE'S DRAMA, SCOVEL'S THE ONE TO DIG IT UP.
SEND HIM A WIRE.
Narrator: SCOVEL'S MISFORTUNE...
I'M A JOURNALIST! I'M AN AMERICAN!
Narrator: ...WILL BECOME A BONANZA FOR PULITZER.
AND A GRUESOME DISCOVERY IN NEW YORK CITY...
AAH!
...ESCALATES THE PUBLISHING WAR.
Man: GENTLEMEN, I HAVE SOMETHING HERE
THAT YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING.
Narrator: ...TO A NEW, UNFORESEEN LEVEL.
¶¶
Narrator: IN THE 1890s, NEW YORK CITY'S PARK ROW,
HOME TO THE GIANTS OF NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING,
IS THE EPICENTER OF A BATTLE BETWEEN TWO TITANS --
JOSEPH PULITZER OF THE NEW YORK WORLD
AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST OF THE NEW YORK JOURNAL.
READ ABOUT IT ONLY IN THE NEW YORK JOURNAL, GUYS.
Narrator: THEIR COMPETITION TO CONTROL
THE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY
IS A STRUGGLE OVER SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER --
THE POWER TO SHAPE PERCEPTION OF EVENTS AND INFLUENCE POLICY.
Morris: THEY BOTH WANT POWER,
AND THEY BOTH WANT TO USE JOURNALISM TO ACHIEVE IT.
[ MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH ]
[ GUNS COCKING ]
Narrator: HEARST LIFTS CIRCULATION
OF HIS PAPER, THE JOURNAL...
[ MAN SHOUTS IN SPANISH ] [ GUNSHOTS ]
...WITH DRAMATIC STORIES
ABOUT CUBA'S FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE.
THE STORIES APPEAL TO AMERICA'S SENSE OF JUSTICE
AND ITS DISTASTE FOR OPPRESSION.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE GRAPHICS OF THAT TIME, IN FULL OF COLOR,
OF TEETH DRIPPING WITH BLOOD, OF WOMEN HALF-NAKED,
IMPLYING SEXUAL CRIMES ABOUT THEM.
[ MEN GROANING ]
Narrator: PULITZER DECIDES TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.
HE SAW THE WAY CIRCULATION ROSE AT HEARST'S NEWSPAPER,
AND HE REALIZED HE HAD TO COMPETE.
Narrator: HE SENDS STAR REPORTER SYLVESTER SCOVEL TO CUBA.
SIR, WE'VE GOTTEN ANOTHER STORY FROM SCOVEL.
Campbell: SCOVEL WAS AN AGGRESSIVE GUY.
HE WAS OUT THERE.
HE WAS KIND OF LIKE THE JOURNALIST
THAT WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAD ON HIS STAFF.
Narrator: THE SPANISH END UP PUTTING SCOVEL IN PRISON
FOR COMMUNICATING WITH CUBAN INSURGENTS.
SCOVEL'S JAILING WAS UNUSUAL AT THE TIME.
I MEAN, NOT MANY JOURNALISTS ARE BEING THROWN INTO JAIL.
THIS ISN'T GOING TO STAND!
Narrator: SCOVEL MANAGES TO KEEP REPORTING FROM PRISON.
I SEE HE IS STILL ABLE TO SNEAK OUT HIS COPY.
YES. THE GUARDS HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.
Narrator: PULITZER USES THESE REPORTS TO PROMOTE HIS PAPER,
THE NEW YORK WORLD.
THE WORLD'S PLAYING THIS UP
BECAUSE THERE'S THEIR MAN IN CUBA.
HE'S BEING HELD IN JAIL
BY THE PERFIDIOUS SPANISH AUTHORITIES RUNNING CUBA.
Narrator: PULITZER REALIZES THAT HIS REPORTER
HAS BECOME THE STORY.
START A CAMPAIGN FOR HIS RELEASE.
I HAVE FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON.
I WANT A PUBLIC OUTCRY FOR HIS RELEASE.
GET STARTED ON THAT.
VERY WELL, SIR.
80, 90 AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS BEGIN TO CAMPAIGN FOR HIS RELEASE.
PULITZER'S PLOY SUCCEEDS.
AMERICAN POLITICIANS
CALL FOR IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION.
Campbell: THE WORLD IS MAKING THIS UP LIKE, YOU KNOW,
HE'S ABOUT READY TO FACE THE FIRING SQUAD AT ANY TIME.
Narrator: IT'S A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR PULITZER.
HIS ENTIRE CAREER,
HE HAS PRIDED HIMSELF ON TELLING ONLY THE FACTS.
NOW HE'S SENSATIONALIZING THE FACTS TO COMPETE WITH HEARST.
AND SO THERE WAS SOME EXAGGERATION OF THE CONDITIONS
UNDER WHICH SCOVEL WAS KEPT.
Narrator: EVENTUALLY, SCOVEL IS RELEASED,
THANKS TO THE INTENSE, IF NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE,
COVERAGE BY THE WORLD.
PULITZER BEATS HEARST AT HIS OWN GAME.
THE NEW YORK WORLD IS BACK ON TOP.
BUT A NEW DISCOVERY CLOSER TO HOME
SHIFTS THE BATTLE BACK TO NEW YORK CITY.
HEY, WHAT IS THAT?
Feldstein: TWO BOYS, ON A HOT, SWELTERING SUMMER DAY IN JUNE,
ARE PLAYING NEAR A PIER IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN.
THEY SEE SOMETHING IN THE WATER.
KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A PACKAGE.
THEY GO -- IT'S THE EAST RIVER --
AND THEY FISH OUT A PACKAGE.
A HEAVY PACKAGE. WHAT IS THIS?
Narrator: THE BOYS WRANGLE THE PACKAGE TO THE SHORELINE.
IT WAS WRAPPED IN THIS SPECIAL CLOTH -- THIS OILCLOTH.
AAH!
EW.
THE DUELING TITANS, PULITZER AND HEARST,
HAVE A NEW STORY FOR AN INCREASINGLY RAVENOUS PUBLIC.
GENTLEMEN, I HAVE SOMETHING HERE
THAT YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING.
OH!
TURNS OUT IT'S A BODY -- A HEADLESS, LEGLESS TORSO.
WE HAVE A WHITE MALE, MID-30s, TORSO.
Campbell: IT BECOMES PRETTY CLEAR PRETTY QUICKLY
THAT THIS IS A MURDER CASE OF SOME...
SOME EVIL DIMENSION, IF YOU WILL.
THERE'S A DEEP STAB WOUND
BETWEEN THE FIFTH AND THE SIXTH RIBS.
SO, HE WAS STABBED TO DEATH?
IT'S LIKELY, BUT, YOU KNOW,
I DON'T HAVE THE REST OF THE BODY.
RIGHT FROM THE START, THE PRESS, NOT THE POLICE,
TAKE OVER THIS CASE.
HE COULD HAVE A BULLET HOLE TO THE HEAD, FOR ALL I KNOW.
[ LAUGHTER ]
AND THEY CALL IN THE CORONER,
WHO CHECKS IT OUT AND SAYS,
"GUESS WHAT. IT WAS ALIVE LESS THAN 24 HOURS AGO."
I'LL TELL YOU THIS --
THERE WAS ONE HELL OF A STRUGGLE BEFORE THIS MAN DIED.
Narrator: ONE YOUNG REPORTER, NED BROWN,
WORKING FOR PULITZER'S WORLD,
IS DETERMINED TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.
WHAT ABOUT IDENTIFYING MARKS?
HIS HANDS -- THEY'RE SOFT, NOT A MANUAL LABORER.
ANY OTHER CLUES?
AND THERE IS A SCAR ON ONE FINGER.
SO, IT'S LIKE, "WHOA. WHO IS THIS GUY
AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM AND WHY?"
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, GENTLEMEN.
AND THOSE ARE THE INGREDIENTS OF A GREAT MURDER MYSTERY,
THEN AND NOW.
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
HEADLESS TRUNK OF A MAN'S BODY FOUND IN THE EAST RIVER!
THE REAL CLUE TO THE MURDER MYSTERY
ONLY IN THE NEW YORK JOURNAL! THE REAL CLUE!
IT WAS A SENSATIONAL STORY.
IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT SEX AND CRIME, THAT'S WHAT SOLD.
AND THIS WAS A BIG CRIME.
MR. HEARST, I'VE GOT AN ADVANCE COPY OF THE WORLD.
Narrator: WITHOUT ANY LEADS,
PULITZER COMES UP WITH A DIFFERENT STRATEGY
TO ENGAGE HIS READERS.
PULITZER'S OFFERING $500 TO ANYONE WHO CAN I.D. THE VICTIM.
I THINK HE'S GETTING DESPERATE.
DESPERATE? NO, IT'S BRILLIANT.
BUT I THINK WE CAN DO BETTER.
I'LL OFFER $1,000.
HEARST ISN'T GONNA BE OUTDONE. HE DOUBLES IT -- $1,000 REWARD.
I WANT IT IN THE EVENING PAPER.
Narrator: IT'S AN AMOUNT EQUIVALENT TO $28,000 TODAY.
GET CRACKING.
All: YES, SIR.
THE PUBLIC IS EATING IT UP,
SNAPPING UP THESE NEWSPAPERS LIKE HOTCAKES.
Narrator: THEN A SHOCKING NEW DISCOVERY MESMERIZES THE CITY.
WE GOT ANOTHER PACKAGE.
GRAB YOUR PADS AND PENCILS, GENTLEMEN.
THIS IS A GOOD ONE.
THE THING THAT'S ODD ABOUT THIS
IS THE LEG STUMPS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN BOILED.
BOILED?
ARE YOU TELLING US THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR
SOME KIND OF...CANNIBAL? [ CHUCKLES ]
IT COULD BE AN ATTEMPT TO DISPOSE OF THE BODY
OR PERHAPS COVER IT UP BY REMOVING THE SKIN.
SOUNDS LIKE A BUTCHER'S HANDIWORK.
NO BUTCHER I'D WANT TO MEET.
THE GUY HAS BEEN CUT UP, AND DIFFERENT BODY PARTS WASH UP.
ALL RIGHT. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
THE IDENTITY OF THE VICTIM?
WELL, FIND THE HEAD.
YES?
Narrator: WITH FEW NEW CLUES TO GO ON
AND A PUBLIC STARVING FOR DETAILS,
WORLD REPORTER NED BROWN GOES OUT ON A LIMB
WITH A HUNCH THAT COULD GAIN HIM AND PULITZER THE UPPER HAND.
¶¶
Narrator: IN THE SUMMER OF 1897,
NEW YORKERS ARE SPELLBOUND BY A MURDER MYSTERY
SURROUNDING THE DISCOVERY OF A HEADLESS TORSO.
IT WAS CALLED "THE JIGSAW MURDER" BECAUSE,
LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE,
PIECES OF THE VICTIM KEPT BEING FOUND
IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF NEW YORK CITY.
Narrator: NEWSPAPER PUBLISHING TITANS WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
AND JOSEPH PULITZER EXPLOIT THE MURDER TO OUTDO EACH OTHER.
HOT OFF THE PRESSES!
Narrator: BUT IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST SELLING PAPERS.
IT'S ABOUT CONTROLLING THE PUBLIC'S ACCESS TO NEWS,
WHICH IS THE KEY TO POWER IN THE NEW DAWN OF INFORMATION.
THEY PIONEERED THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM.
THEY BUILT US THE MASS CULTURE.
Morris: SO, THIS REPRESENTS THE INVENTION
OF THE MODERN MASS MEDIA,
WHICH WAS AS FASCINATING TO AMERICANS THEN
AS THE INTERNET WOULD BE IN THE 20th CENTURY.
Narrator: PULITZER SUFFERS MALADIES
THAT PUT HIM AT A DISADVANTAGE.
BLIND PEOPLE DID NOT WANT TO BE SEEN.
IT WAS AN INFIRMITY, BEFORE HELEN KELLER CHANGED IT,
THAT WAS LIKE A MARK.
Narrator: IT'S MORE THAN JUST BLINDNESS
THAT'S FORCING HIM AWAY FROM PUBLISHING'S FRONT LINES.
PULITZER IS BESET WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS,
MUCH LIKE HOWARD HUGHES WOULD BE IN THE 20th CENTURY.
HE HAS THIS KIND OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY.
PULITZER IS TRAVELING FROM MAINE TO GEORGIA TO EUROPE,
LOOKING FOR PLACES THAT WILL GIVE HIM SOME PEACE
AND QUIET AND CALM.
Narrator: PEACE AND QUIET FOR PULITZER IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
[ TOAST CRUNCHING ]
Morris: EVERYTHING SETS HIM OFF,
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SETS HIM OFF IS NOISE.
HE IS CONSTANTLY FLEEING NOISE.
[ TOAST CRUNCHING ]
Narrator: ALTHOUGH HE'S PLAGUED WITH CONSTANT PAIN,
THE ONGOING COMPETITION WITH HEARST
PROVIDES PULITZER WITH SOME COMFORTING DISTRACTION.
AND ONE OF HIS REPORTERS IS ABOUT TO CRACK OPEN
THE MURDER CASE THAT WILL BRING HIM CLOSER TO DEFEATING HEARST.
THE PULITZER REPORTER REALIZES THAT THESE HANDS MAY BE A CLUE,
BECAUSE THEY'RE SOFT AND THEY'RE MANICURED,
AND HE THINKS, "THIS MIGHT BE A MASSEUR."
Narrator: ON 42nd STREET IN TIMES SQUARE,
THE MURRAY HILL BATHS ARE A POPULAR DESTINATION
FOR LATE-NIGHT HANGOVERS.
PULITZER'S REPORTER, NED BROWN,
ASKS AROUND AND MAKES A DISCOVERY.
AND HE SCOURS THE TURKISH BATHS OF NEW YORK CITY
UNTIL HE FINDS A MASSEUR WHO'S GONE MISSING
FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS,
A MAN BY THE NAME OF WILLIAM GULDENSUPPE.
THAT CLUE LEADS NED BROWN TO AN APARTMENT
OVER A DRUG STORE NEAR 33rd AND 9th AVENUE.
¶¶
[ LOCK DISENGAGES ]
YES?
GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'VE GOT A DEAL YOU CAN'T REFUSE.
AND HE POSES AS A SOAP SALESMAN.
HE LIES ABOUT HIS IDENTITY, DOESN'T SAY HE'S A REPORTER.
THESE ARE NEW, EXPENSIVE, 25¢ SOAPS.
OH! 25¢?!
BUT I'M PRACTICALLY GIVING THEM AWAY FOR 5¢.
Narrator: THE MISSING MASSEUR, WILLIAM GULDENSUPPE,
HAS BEEN LIVING WITH A MIDWIFE NAMED AUGUSTA NACK.
ALL I'M ASKING IN RETURN IS TESTIMONIAL FROM CUSTOMERS.
[ CHUCKLES ]
[ SIGHS ]
LET ME SEE THEM.
I'VE ONLY GOT A COUPLE LEFT,
BUT, UH, WHY DON'T YOU GO TRY THEM IN THE BATHROOM?
ALL RIGHT. GIVE ME A SOAP.
OOH. IT DOES SMELL NICE.
Narrator: HIS TACTIC WORKS.
BROWN FRANTICALLY SEARCHES FOR CLUES.
LET YOUR HANDS SOAK IN IT. EACH FINGER WILL FEEL CARESSED.
AND HE SPOTS, OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE,
A PHOTOGRAPH IN HER LIVING ROOM.
IT'S A PHOTO OF A MAN, AND HE THINKS,
"HMM. I WONDER..."
AND HE SWIPES IT WHEN SHE'S NOT LOOKING.
THESE ARE VERY NICE SOAPS,
BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO QUOTE ME FOR THE AD.
[ CHUCKLES ] THAT'S QUITE ALL RIGHT.
I'LL TAKE TWO.
Narrator: BROWN HAS WHAT HE NEEDS...
MM.
...AND RETURNS TO THE NEWSROOM TO CONVINCE PULITZER
THAT THE VICTIM IS NONE OTHER THAN THE MISSING MASSEUR,
WILLIAM GULDENSUPPE.
WENT TO A BATHHOUSE IN TIMES SQUARE.
SOURCE SAYS MASSEUR HASN'T BEEN THERE FOR A WEEK.
FITS THE DESCRIPTION -- SOFT HANDS, LARGE BUILD.
YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO PRINT THIS.
ANOTHER WORLD REPORTER, IKE WHITE,
HAS HIS OWN COMPETING THEORY.
I'VE IDENTIFIED THE CORPSE -- THEODORE SYCLUM.
WILLIAM GULDENSUPPE.
HE'S OUR GUY. THAT'S THE STORY TO RUN.
IKE WHITE HAS TRACKED DOWN THEODORE SYCLUM BASED ON A WOUND
ON THE CORPSE'S FINGER.
HE'S A CABINET MAKER WHO'S BEEN MISSING FROM HIS JOB
SINCE LAST THURSDAY, AND A WOUND ON THE CORPSE
IS TYPICAL FOR SOMEONE IN HIS LINE OF WORK.
WHAT ABOUT MOTIVE OR WITNESSES?
WHITE IS KNOWN IN THE NEW YORK WORLD'S NEWSROOM
FOR HIS ABILITY TO HUNT DOWN OBSCURE CLUES.
I EVEN TRACKED ONE DIAMOND BEAD 3220 OILCLOTH
TO A PEDDLER WHO ALSO SOLD THE SAME TYPE OF CORD
USED TO TIE THE PARCELS, AND THIS PEDDLER --
HE WORKS RIGHT NEAR SYCLUM.
WE'LL GO WITH THE CABINET MAKER.
AND PULITZER GOES WITH HIS MORE EXPERIENCED REPORTER
AND SITS ON THE STORY.
WELL, THAT GIVES HEARST THE CHANCE TO BREAK IT.
HEARST SENDS A TEAM OF REPORTERS OUT ON BIKES
TO TRACK DOWN THE CLUES.
THEY HAD THESE BRIGADES OF BICYCLISTS
THAT THEY CALLED "THE WRECKING CREW"
THAT THEY WOULD SEND OUT ALL OVER THE CITY.
WHAT WE WOULD CALL IT TODAY IS, LIKE, FLOOD THE ZONE.
Feldstein: AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE CLOTH
THAT THE BODY WAS WRAPPED IN.
Narrator: HEARST REPORTERS TRACK DOWN THE STORE
THAT SOLD THE OILCLOTH AND LEARN THE NAME OF THE BUYER --
AUGUSTA NACK.
HEARST IS CONVINCED SHE'S THE CULPRIT
AND INTENDS ON KEEPING THE SCOOP.
SO, THE HEARST TEAM RUSHES OVER TO WHERE AUGUSTA NACK LIVES,
AND HEARST HIMSELF CLIMBS ON A BICYCLE
AND SPEEDS THROUGH TOWN.
Narrator: HEARST, THE MILLIONAIRE PUBLISHING MOGUL,
ARRIVES AT THE APARTMENT.
AUGUSTA HAS VANISHED.
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST FOUND OUT THAT THE LEASE WAS UP
ON THE APARTMENT.
Narrator: TO KEEP THE STORY EXCLUSIVE,
HEARST WANTS TO RESTRICT PULITZER'S REPORTERS
FROM HAVING ACCESS TO THE HOT NEW LEAD.
As Hearst: SO, FROM NOW ON, ONLY I AND MY MEN
AND THE POLICE, OF COURSE,
SHALL HAVE ACCESS TO THIS APARTMENT.
UNDERSTOOD?
SO, HE ACTUALLY LEASED THE APARTMENT
AND BROUGHT REPORTERS DOWN THERE.
HE WALKED THROUGH THE EVIDENCE.
AND HE THEN STATIONS GUARDS AT EVERY EXIT OF THE BUILDING
TO KEEP EVERYONE OUT.
HE HAS HIS STAFF CUT THE PHONE LINES
OF ALL THE PAY PHONES NEARBY
SO THAT IF THEY DISCOVER WHERE IT IS,
THEY CAN'T CALL FOR BACKUP.
AND HE IS DETERMINED TO OWN THE STORY, AND HE DOES.
Shahid: IT WAS NO HOLDS BARRED. ETHICS WERE OUT THE WINDOW.
THEY WEREN'T EVEN CONSIDERED,
BECAUSE THE GOAL WAS TO SELL NEWSPAPERS.
Narrator: WITH THE APARTMENT SECURE,
HEARST'S TEAM WATCHES OVER THE POLICE WITH A CLOSE EYE.
Campbell: THEY'RE THERE WITH THE INVESTIGATORS,
YOU KNOW, POKING THROUGH THE STUFF.
Narrator: AS THE POLICE SEARCH THE APARTMENT,
THEY FIND A POTENTIAL MURDER WEAPON.
[ SNAPS FINGERS ]
IT'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ARREST AUGUSTA NACK.
HEARST'S JOURNAL CLAIMS VICTORY OVER PULITZER'S NEW YORK WORLD.
SO, THE PRESS DID WHAT THE POLICE COULDN'T.
THEY CRACKED THE CASE.
HEARST IS EMBOLDENED BY THE SUCCESS
OF HIS AGGRESSIVE REPORTING,
AND HE'S ABOUT TO CROSS ANOTHER JOURNALISTIC LINE,
ENDANGERING LIVES, RISKING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS,
AND EVEN WAR.
¶¶
[ TYPEWRITERS CLACKING ]
Narrator: BY 1897,
JOSEPH PULITZER'S NEW YORK WORLD
AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST'S NEW YORK JOURNAL
HAVE SOLVED THE JIGSAW MURDER MYSTERY.
AND THEY'VE DONE SO BY BREAKING TRADITIONAL RULES
AND BENDING ETHICS.
NOW THOSE TACTICS WILL BE USED ON ANOTHER, MORE DANGEROUS FRONT
THAT WILL HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES,
ENDANGERING LIVES
AND DESTABILIZING INTERNATIONAL POLITICS.
THIS IS AN ACTIVIST BRAND OF JOURNALISM THAT A NEWSPAPER
HAS AN OBLIGATION TO INJECT ITSELF INTO PUBLIC AFFAIRS
AND TO CORRECT THE WRONGS OF SOCIETY
TO THE EXTENT THAT IT CAN.
SO, THEY HAD A LOT OF INFLUENCE. THEY HAD A LOT OF POWER.
Narrator: NOW HEARST TURNS HIS ATTENTION BACK TO CUBA
AND FINDS THE PERFECT STORY IN EVANGELINA CISNEROS.
EVANGELINA CISNEROS WAS A YOUNG CUBAN NATIONAL
WHO WAS CAUGHT UP IN A PLOT, APPARENTLY,
TO KILL THE SPANISH COMMANDER ON A PENAL COLONY
ON THE ISLE OF PINES.
Narrator: THE ISLE OF PINES HOUSES CUBAN REBEL LEADERS
AND FAMILY MEMBERS FIGHTING FOR INDEPENDENCE
FROM AN OPPRESSIVE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.
FOR MANY AMERICANS,
CUBA'S INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT HAS A FAMILIAR PATRIOTIC CALLING.
AS THE NIECE OF A REBEL LEADER, EVANGELINA IS BEING HELD HERE.
Morris: EVANGELINA CISNEROS WAS A WOMAN
WHO PROBABLY WAS ALLIED WITH THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
IN CUBA AND IS ARRESTED.
BUT BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN,
HEARST USED HER IN A PARTICULAR WAY IN HIS CIRCULATION WAR.
Narrator: THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF WHAT HAPPENS
BETWEEN EVANGELINA AND THE SPANISH COMMANDER THERE,
COLONEL JOSé BERRIZ.
IN THE FIRST VERSION,
SHE IS A NAIVE YOUNG WOMAN STALKED BY THE SPANISH COMMANDER
AND ATTACKED OUT OF LUST.
[ SCREAMS ]
IN THE SECOND VERSION,
SHE LURES THE COMMANDER INTO HER RESIDENCE,
CUBAN REBELS HIDE IN WAIT...
[ SCREAMS ]
...THEN ATTACK AND CAPTURE BERRIZ
AS PART OF AN ESCAPE PLAN.
BUT THE SPANISH GUARDS ARRIVE AND FOIL THE PLOT.
EITHER WAY,
EVANGELINA'S IMPRISONMENT TAKES A TURN FOR THE WORSE.
EVANGELINA CISNEROS IS TAKEN TO HAVANA IN CHAINS,
AND SHE IS KEPT IN A JAIL FOR WOMEN.
AND SHE IS KEPT IN VERY TOUGH CONDITIONS.
Narrator: SHE IS EDUCATED, REFINED,
AND UNMISTAKABLY BEAUTIFUL.
HEARST'S NEWSPAPER SAID THAT SHE'S GUILTY
OF ONLY HAVING THE BEST BLOOD IN CUBA IN HER VEINS.
OTHERWISE, SHE'S AN INNOCENT VICTIM OF THE CUBAN REBELLION.
Narrator: AND HEARST MAKES THE MOST OF HER STORY.
IT'S A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS STORY MADE FOR NEWSPAPERS.
Narrator: HEARST SMARTLY USES THE STORY LINE AS A SYMBOL
FOR CUBAN OPPRESSION UNDER SPANISH COLONIAL RULE.
SO, WHAT HEARST DOES IS SEND TO CUBA A GUY NAMED KARL DECKER.
DECKER WAS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C., BUREAU
OF THE NEW YORK JOURNAL, AND HE GOES THERE, OSTENSIBLY,
AS THE JOURNAL'S MAN IN HAVANA.
DECKER SECURES A ROOM ACROSS FROM THE PRISON
WHERE CISNEROS IS BEING HELD.
DECKER'S SECRET INSTRUCTIONS ARE TO FIND A WAY
TO BREAK EVANGELINA CISNEROS OUT OF JAIL
AND GET HER TO THE UNITED STATES SAFELY.
Narrator: DECKER AND HIS ACCOMPLICES,
WHO WERE ABLE TO PASS INSTRUCTIONS TO EVANGELINA,
SET OUT IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
THEY CROSS BETWEEN BUILDINGS...
...AND SCALE THE PRISON WALLS.
HEARST'S PLAN IS A FLAGRANT CROSSING OF A JOURNALISTIC LINE.
HE IS NOW IN THE BUSINESS OF CREATING
AND DIRECTLY INFLUENCING THE STORY.
[ METAL CLATTERS ]
MEANWHILE, EVANGELINA, WHO IS IN ON THE PLAN,
DRUGS HER CELL MATE,
THEN TIES A WHITE CLOTH TO THE WINDOW BARS
TO SIGNAL DECKER.
DECKER FINALLY ARRIVES,
RISKING HIS LIFE TO CREATE A FAIRYTALE RESCUE
THAT HEARST KNOWS WILL RESONATE WITH AMERICANS.
Campbell: AND THEY BREAK THE BARS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM...
...AND THEN SMUGGLE HER OUT ACROSS THE MOONLIT ROOFTOP
OF THE JAIL,
ACROSS A VERY CREAKY PLANK
CONNECTING IT TO ANOTHER BUILDING.
EVANGELINA CISNEROS HAS BEEN BROKEN OUT OF JAIL
AND THEN, DRESSED AS A BOY,
IS ESCORTED ABOARD A PASSENGER STEAMER --
AMERICAN-FLAGGED PASSENGER STEAMER HEADED TO NEW YORK CITY.
¶¶
[ INSECTS CHIRPING ]
Narrator: WITH THE DARING RESCUE COMPLETE,
HEARST CAN NOW BASK IN ITS GLORY.
I HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST TONIGHT -- EVANGELINA CISNEROS,
RESCUED FROM PRISON IN THE MOST DARING JAILBREAK
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WAR.
HER ENGINEERED RESCUE IS ANOTHER CIRCULATION COUP FOR HEARST.
IF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN'T GET IT DONE, THE JOURNAL WILL.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
ARROGANCE AND RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR ETHICS
NOW GUIDE HEARST'S ACTIONS.
Feldstein: SO, THERE WAS HEARST, YOU KNOW,
MASTER OF CEREMONIES FOR THIS PLAY HE HAD CREATED,
THIS VAUDEVILLIAN DRAMA THAT HE COVERED EVERY DAY
ON THE FRONT PAGES OF THE NEWSPAPERS
AS HIS CIRCULATION SKYROCKETED.
Narrator: HEARST'S SUCCESS ONLY EMBOLDENS HIM.
THIS MEANS WAR.
Narrator: HE INTENSIFIES HIS EFFORTS AND SETS A TRAP
TO DESTROY PULITZER AND END THEIR EPIC FEUD.
THE FACTS! JUST THE FACTS!
WHAT HAPPENED TO "JUST THE FACTS?!"
¶¶
[ TYPEWRITERS CLACKING ]
Narrator: IN 1898, JOSEPH PULITZER'S NEW YORK WORLD
AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST'S NEW YORK JOURNAL
PUSH THE BOUNDS OF JOURNALISM TO THE BREAKING POINT.
THEY COMPETE TO BOOST CIRCULATION
AND CONSOLIDATE MEDIA POWER.
THEY WERE BATTLING FOR THE SUPREMACY
OF NEW YORK CITY -- YOU KNOW,
WHO WAS GOING TO BE THE TOP BOSS, THE TOP TITAN.
Narrator: HEARST'S DARING PRISON RESCUE
OF A WILDLY SYMPATHETIC PRISONER OF WAR
ONLY FUELS HIS APPETITE FOR SOMETHING BIGGER IN CUBA.
HE GETS HIS OPPORTUNITY WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
A U.S. BATTLESHIP STATIONED IN THE HAVANA HARBOR.
Campbell: THE U.S.S. MAINE,
ON A SORT OF FRIENDLY VISIT TO HAVANA,
EXPLODES MYSTERIOUSLY.
THE LOSS OF LIFE -- MORE THAN 200 AMERICAN SAILORS ARE KILLED
AND MANY OTHERS ARE GRIEVOUSLY INJURED.
WHAT'S THE NEWS FROM CUBA?
MR. HEARST, THE U.S.S. MAINE HAS BEEN SUNK.
HEARST, AT THAT MOMENT, REALIZES HE HAS THE STORY HE WANTS.
WE PUT IT ON THE FRONT PAGE WITH ALL THE OTHER NEWS?
THERE IS NO OTHER BIG NEWS.
Feldstein: AND NOBODY KNEW WHO BLEW UP THE MAINE,
BUT HEARST HAD NO DOUBT WHO WAS AT FAULT
OR AT LEAST WHO HE WAS GOING TO BLAME IN HIS NEWSPAPER...
SPREAD THE STORY OVER THE ENTIRE FRONT PAGE.
...AND THAT WAS THE SPANISH.
THIS MEANS WAR.
Narrator: PULITZER AND HIS NEW YORK WORLD,
DRIVEN BY THE DIZZYING NEW HEIGHTS OF SENSATIONALISM,
ALSO PLAY UP THE DISASTER.
LET'S MAKE THIS BIGGER.
PULITZER SAW THE WAY CIRCULATION ROSE AT HEARST'S NEWSPAPER,
AND HE REALIZED HE HAD TO COMPETE.
AND SO HE THREW HIMSELF INTO RUNNING COVERAGE
THAT WAS AS SHRILL AND EXTREME AND PRO-WAR AS HEARST.
Narrator: ON APRIL 25th,
AS THE TWO LARGEST NEWSPAPERS IN THE WORLD
RATTLED THEIR BATTLE SABERS TO CAPTURE READERS,
THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR ON SPAIN.
SO, IT'S "REMEMBER THE MAINE, REMEMBER THE MAINE,
AND TO HELL WITH SPAIN."
BECAUSE WE WANTED A WAR, THE NEWSPAPERS WANTED A WAR,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAD.
Narrator: HEARST, PUSHING THE BOUNDS OF SENSATIONALISM,
REACHES AN UNHEARD-OF MILESTONE.
Feldstein: AND FOR THE FIRST TIME,
HEARST SOLD MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES
OF HIS NEWSPAPER EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THAT WAS A GOAL PULITZER HAD COVETED FOR A LONG TIME.
[ SLOW-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS ]
Narrator: IT'S A DEVASTATING BLOW.
PULITZER'S WORLD IS TAKING A DRUMMING.
[ MUSIC STOPS ]
LET'S HEAR IT.
WHAT ARE THE LATEST CIRCULATION NUMBERS?
Campbell: HEARST AND PULITZER ARE, LIKE, NECK AND NECK.
THE CIRCULATION GAP BETWEEN THE TWO NEWSPAPERS
HAS REALLY NARROWED DRAMATICALLY.
IT'S EATING INTO MY PROFITS.
Narrator: PULITZER IS INFORMED THAT HEARST,
WITH HIS DEEP POCKETS, CAN CONTINUE TO SPEND AT WILL.
HERE'S WHAT WE'LL DO.
WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS ACROSS THE BOARD.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE THE PAPER.
DO IT.
YES, SIR.
[ SIGHS ]
[ TYPEWRITERS CLACKING ]
Narrator: WITH FEWER REPORTERS AND EDITORS,
THE STAFF AT PULITZER'S WORLD CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE JOURNAL.
THE DEATH OF COLONEL REFLIPE W. THENUZ?
HOW COME WE DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT THIS?
A COLONEL IN EUROPE? HE DIED IN BATTLE?
NO ONE CAUGHT THIS ON THE WIRE?
Morris: THE WORLD STUPIDLY REPRINTS THE WHOLE ARTICLE
BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FIND THEIR OWN SOURCE FOR IT.
YOU -- WRITE THIS UP IN TOMORROW MORNING'S PAPER.
Shahid: WHEN JOSEPH PULITZER WAS IN ST. LOUIS,
HE WOULD PLANT FALSE INFORMATION IN HIS STORIES
JUST TO SEE IF OTHER NEWSPAPERS WERE STEALING FROM HIM.
AND SO, THAT'S THE SAME TACTIC THAT WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
DID ON HIM.
Narrator: HEARST SUSPECTS PULITZER'S STAFF
IS STEALING HIS PAPER'S STORIES.
TO PROVE IT, HE TAKES A PAGE OUT OF PULITZER'S BOOK
AND FABRICATES A STORY ABOUT A PROMINENT COLONEL --
REFLIPE W. THENUZ.
AND THE NEXT DAY, HEARST ANNOUNCED THAT IT'S AN ANAGRAM
FOR "WE PILFER THE NUZ."
WE'VE RECEIVED SOME BAD NEWS, MR. PULITZER.
WHAT NOW?
UM, ONE OF OUR REPORTERS, UH --
STOP STAMMERING!
HE COPIED A STORY FROM THE JOURNAL,
AND MR. HEARST PUT IT IN THE PAPER.
DO YOU HAVE THE PAPER?
YES.
THE FACTS! JUST THE FACTS!
WHAT HAPPENED TO "JUST THE FACTS?!"
IT REALLY MADE PULITZER SEEM LIKE HE WAS A THIEF,
THAT, YOU KNOW, HE REALLY WASN'T GOING OUT,
GETTING STORIES ON HIS OWN,
BUT IT ALSO SHOWED THAT WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
COULD ONE-UP JOSEPH PULITZER.
Narrator: BY 1898,
THEIR CIRCULATION BATTLE HAS SPIRALED OUT OF CONTROL.
PUBLIC OPINION HAS SHIFTED,
AND THEY ARE NOW TARGETS OF RIDICULE.
THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE OTHER HIGH-BROW NEWSPAPERS
LOOKED DOWN ON THE WORLD, LOOKED DOWN ON THE JOURNAL.
THEY VIEWED PULITZER AND HEARST AS SCALAWAGS.
Shahid: THEY LOST A LOT OF PRESTIGE AND A LOT OF RESPECT
BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST TIRED OF IT AFTER A WHILE.
Narrator: WITH THE ADDED COST OF COVERING A FOREIGN WAR,
BOTH HEARST AND PULITZER REACH A BREAKING POINT,
AND THE TWO TITANS AGREE TO MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I'M GLAD YOU WERE ABLE TO MEET WITH ME.
AS FAR AS WE KNOW,
PULITZER AND HEARST MET ONCE AND ONLY ONCE.
AN INVITATION FROM WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
IS HARD TO TURN DOWN.
THEY BOTH UNDERSTOOD THE ECONOMIC DANGER
THAT THE CIRCULATION WAR THEY WERE WAGING
REPRESENTED TO BOTH ENTERPRISES.
AND WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE?
IT WOULD BE MORE PROFITABLE FOR US IF WE DIVIDE THE MARKET
RATHER THAN COMPETE.
THE CIRCULATION WAR IS COSTING US BOTH A GREAT DEAL.
I THINK WE SEE EYE TO EYE ON THAT.
Narrator: THEY DISCUSS A PROPOSAL
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HERESY ONLY A FEW YEARS EARLIER.
SO, YOU TAKE THE 1¢ MARKET.
I RAISE MY PRICE TO 2¢ AND STEER MY PAPER
TO MORE WEIGHTY CONCERNS.
EXACTLY.
THAT WAY, WE'RE NOT COMPETING FOR THE SAME PIECE OF THE PIE.
SO, THESE TWO MEN CAME TOGETHER TO CARVE UP THE MONEY
AND TO CARVE UP THE CIRCULATION TO ENSURE THEIR SURVIVAL.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT.
Narrator: IT'S AN ILLEGAL ANTI-TRUST AGREEMENT --
SOMETHING THEY HAD BOTH CHAMPIONED AGAINST.
THE JOURNAL AND THE WORLD,
NO LONGER AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS.
[CHUCKLES] IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES.
Narrator: HEARST AND PULITZER NEVER OFFICIALLY FINALIZE
AN AGREEMENT, BUT A TRUCE OF SORTS TAKES PLACE,
AND THEIR CIRCULATION WAR ENDS.
WHEN THE DUST SETTLES AFTER THE FAMOUS CIRCULATION WARS,
I THINK HEARST COMES OUT THE WINNER.
HE OUT-PULITZERED PULITZER AND BEAT HIM AT HIS OWN GAME,
AND HE DID SO EVEN THOUGH HE WASN'T THE INNOVATOR.
HE WAS THE IMITATOR.
BUT HEARST'S VICTORY COMES AT A COST.
Campbell: SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MYTHS OF THE PROFESSION
ARE ASSOCIATED WITH WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST,
NOTABLY, "YOU FURNISH THE PICTURES
AND I'LL FURNISH THE WAR."
THIS MAD-MAN PUBLISHER WHO WAS BRINGING ON A WAR
THAT THE COUNTRY OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE FOUGHT
IS AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE NEGATIVE IMPRESSIONS
THAT ARE STILL ATTACHED TO WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST.
Narrator: PULITZER, ON THE OTHER HAND,
RE-EXAMINES HIS ROLE IN THE CIRCULATION BATTLE.
HE FELT THAT HE NEEDED TO LEAVE A LEGACY,
AND HIS LEGACY IS THE PULITZER PRIZES.
HE GAVE MONEY IN HIS WILL --
HE LEFT IT TO COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
TO START THESE PRIZES AFTER HIM.
SO, IF THERE IS A WINNER IN THAT RESPECT,
IT'S WHOSE LEGACY IS THE BEST -- IT WOULD BE JOSEPH PULITZER.
ULTIMATELY, JOSEPH PULITZER AND WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
CHANGE PUBLISHING FOREVER AND LAY THE FOUNDATION
FOR THE FUTURE OF ALL MASS MEDIA.
Morris: THE IDEA OF CONSUMING NEWS,
LOOKING TO NEWS FOR ENTERTAINMENT,
NEWS AS A CENTRAL PART OF OUR CULTURE
ARE LEGACIES OF WHAT THESE TWO MEN DID.
Feldstein: THEY BUILT US THE MASS CULTURE,
THE MASS MEDIA, THE POPULAR CULTURE,
THE SUSTAINED WATCHDOG JOURNALISM.
AND IN THE PROCESS, THEY TRANSFORMED THAT INDUSTRY,
THEY TRANSFORMED POLITICS, IN MANY WAYS,
AND THEY TRANSFORMED AMERICAN LIFE.
¶¶