St. Louis

Print Media

Joseph Pulitzer emigrated to the United States from Hungary to fight with the Union Army in the [Page 1343]American Civil War (1861–65). Told about the major population of German-speaking immigrants, he moved to St. Louis and went to work on a German language newspaper, Westliche Post. He became fluent in English, emerged as a leading political reporter, studied law, and held office as state senator. As a newspaper person, he emphasized the importance of accuracy and good writing, and the necessity of the press's watchdog role. He took advantage of his location to focus on sensational stories such as the exploits of the infamous desperado, Jesse James, and the James Gang, in post–Civil War America.

Pulitzer competed with Joseph McCullagh, editor of the Morning Globe, who merged his paper with the St. Louis Democrat to achieve Associated Press membership. McCullagh provided coverage of religious news and often focused on railroad expansion, as St. Louis became an initial hub for the Midwestern and then transcontinental railroads. Once Pulitzer bought and merged the two local newspapers—the Post and the Dispatch—other publishers throughout the United States began to copy this reporting style, especially William Randolph Hearst, who became acquainted with Pulitzer's New York World as a student at Harvard.

Hearst is often mentioned along with Pulitzer because of his role as a competitor using the same brand of aggressive journalism in New York City in the age of “New Journalism.” Tackling local “big wigs,” utility companies, and slumlords, Pulitzer's properties, especially, highlighted the sensational, regularly publishing stories with headlines such as “How Babies Are Baked,” and “Lines of Little Hearses” that targeted the treatment poor families received at the hands of ruthless landlords. Pulitzer published a platform of principles with practices he endorsed without fear or favor of the upper class, traditional newspaper supporters, and also produced an advertising code to address editorial conflicts. Once his paper became dominant in St. Louis, he expanded further into the New York City media market.

...