Common Book 2020-22: Tulsa 1921: Yellow Journalism

In his book, Tulsa 1921: Reporting a Massacre, Randy Krehbiel details the way the two main newspapers of the day, The Tulsa World and The Tulsa Tribune, covered the Massacre. Many have placed some of the responsibility for the events on the inflammatory way the arrest of Dick Rowland was covered, especially by the Tribune. The book uses the term "Yellow Journalism" to describe the coverage. 

Yellow Journalism is journalism that is based on sensationalism and exaggeration. It was a well known phenomena that was employed to sell newspapers, and is often used today to describe unethical journalistic practices. While Yellow Journalism has a long and dramatic history, it can also be seen today in what is often termed "fake news". 

This page contains links and videos to help you learn, not only the history of Yellow Journalism, but how it influences how we consume information today. The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 is just one example of how false, partial, biased, or misleading information can have very real consequences, and how the information consumer must be very careful when evaluating sources.