PULITZER: journalist for the common man

The print media is a loyal friend of the common man. In this unjust society, media fights for oppressed and suppressed common man to uphold his rights and dignity. Joseph Pulitzer was such an American journalist who displayed a flair for reporting and helped establish the pattern of modern newspapers. He was one of the most powerful journalists. Through his newspaper ‘New York World’ he fought relentlessly for the oppressed class.

The term ‘Yellow Journalism’ was coined in the 1890’s to characterize the sensational journalism that used some yellow ink in the circulation war between Pulitzer’s New York World and its rival New York Journal. Pulitzer left two million dollars in his will which led to the creation of the Columbia university school of journalism in 1912. In the year 1917, Columbia University organised the awards of the first Pulitzer prizes in journalism. The winner received a certificate, fifteen thousand dollars cash award and a gold medal.

Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian born on tenth April, 1847. (Last week was his birthday). He became a leading national figure in the Democratic Party and was elected as congressman from the New York City. He crusaded against big business and corruption.   

Today he is best known for the Pulitzer Prize which was established in 1917. It is a prestige for any journalist to get the ‘Pulitzer prize’. Pulitzer renounced his allegiance to the Hungarian empire and became a naturalized American citizen.

In 1895, his newspaper introduced the immensely popular ‘the yellow kid’ comic strips. This is one of the first comic strips to be featured in the newly launched Sunday colored supplement.  The circulation grew from fifteen thousand to six lakh copies making it the largest newspaper in America.

Pulitzer was born in 10^th April 1847 and died on 25^th October 1911 at the age of 64 years.

Pulitzer had an uncanny knack for appealing to the........

‘Common Man’.

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