Journalism has circulated worldwide since 59 B.C. when the first daily news publication was recorded in the Acta Diurna, a news publication, in Rome. Since then, according to Webster.com, reporters have used journalism to share information through newspapers, broadcasts, websites and magazines. 

During the American Revolution, many citizens used journalism to spread information about the war to one another, and although the government attempted to censor stories, journalists had full creative freedom. Creative freedom often caused bias and misquotes to be printed in newspapers, leading to libel. 

Libel, according to Webster, is the publishing of false statements that are damaging to another’s character. Libel in the 1700s could also be associated with “yellow journalism,” which was used to influence the public or promote different newspaper press says Universal Class.com. 

The term “yellow journalism” comes from the famous comic “The Yellow Kid,” which was drawn by George B. Luke, to help promote war stories in the New York World.  

Joseph Pulitzer, the founder of the New York World, used colorful reporting against political corruption and social injustice according to Britannica. When William Randolph Hearst founded the New York Journal, he recruited Richard Outcault to redraw “The Yellow Kid,” and it caused ongoing conflict between the two papers. 

The conflict between Hearst and Pulitzer created a series of fierce wars due to the writers using sensationalistic reporting and creating schemes only to promote their work, according to Britannica.com. 

Today journalists, a lot like before, use journalism to provide citizens with the information they need to maintain their life according to American Press.com.  

Fake news, or “yellow journalism,” can still be circulated posing as a form of serious journalism whether in current events or past events according to Journalistresource.com. It could also be regarded as rumors being spread in news articles, which can then create confusion about the true events of a situation. 

Spreading fake news can be harmful due to the social conflict it causes, and it could also deter people’s perception of reality according to cits.uscb.edu.  

In order to prevent the spread of fake news it is important to check how reliable the source is, as well as use multiple sources to get the full story according to theconversation.com.