Hearst and Harmsworth

Our first focused (and I use the term lightly) lecture of the second year was a look at world and newspaper history of the early 20th century. More specifically, it was a look at William Randolph Hearst and Alfred Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe). Probably the most influential media-men of the time.

Hearst, we’ll think of him as the American media mogul, was essentially the inventor of the tabloid newspaper. The rising literacy rates of the time meant more of the working class could read, but this by no means meant there were up to ploughing their way through the walls of text that made up most broadsheets (hell, I’m supposedly well educated and I can barely stomach reading much of the telegraph, and I’m pretty sure the FT is all just freemason code…). As a result, he changed the formats of all of his papers, a hefty chunk of front pages, and entire papers were covered in striking, shocking and generally eye-catching pictures. The motto of the time was sensationalism, or ‘yellow journalism’ fierce battles were raging between various papers (on the pages of course, remember, the pen is mightier than the sword), each trying to outdo the others. Hearst’s stories could become unbelievable, sometimes literally. He also went about headhunting writers from other papers, in order to form his own crack squad.


Orson Welles’ film, Citizen Kane, is often thought to be something of a biography of Hearst’s life. Thought by many critics to be one of the greatest films of all time, telling Kane’s life through a series of flashbacks resulting from a reporting attempting to find out the meaning of ‘Rosebud’ Kane’s last word. Spoilers!: Rosebud gets incinerated!

What a spiffing looking chap!

Across the Atlantic Alfred Harmsworth was the British media mogul, rising out of pretty much nothing. Harmsworth’s first publication ‘Answers’ was fairly tongue-in-cheek (I assume) magazine which contained some very odd articles about ‘facts’ from all over the world. ‘Why don’t Jews ride bicycles?’ would catch most peoples eye, and indeed this formula worked, drawing larger audiences until Harmsworth capitalised on his readership by using competitions and prizes to bring in more readers, resulting in him earning an absurd amount of money. In turns out people enjoy the chance at getting free stuff, who knew?

It was in his early thirties that Harmsworth worked at the Daily Mail. Articles, it was decided, were no longer than 250 words, the argument being the simplicity of the average person who likes short, interesting, snappy stories.

At this point in time, a niche was discovered for the paper industry: women. The Mail created a women’s section of the paper, which was so successful that it was decided that there should be an entire paper aimed at women. Enter, the Daily Mirror. It turned out to that this didn’t work very well. Not necessarily because it was a poor idea, but more likely as it was poorly implemented. The Mirror was remade as a picture-paper and not long after, it had sales of over 1 million. Its shining moment coming when the paper had pictures of king Edward VII on his deathbed. Thus beginning the oh-so-perfect relationship between the tabloid and the monarchy.

By the time of Harmsworth’s death, he had rescued more than a few failing newspapers, bringing most of them back to success. He even owned the Observer and the Times. Funnily enough he never was that fond of the Mirror. Can’t think why…