The Spanish-American War changed the way America defines "news." Arguably the first "media war", the Spanish-American War started because of bold accusations American newspapers made against the Spanish, and only thrived when more and more outrageous headlines were published daily. This war also coined the term "yellow journalism" to describe sensational and often inaccurate reporting designed to increase the circulation of newspapers. The Newsboys' Strike of 1899 did not occur in a vacuum - the invention of yellow journalism, the Spanish-American War, and the decline in newspaper sales once the war had ended all played large parts in sparking the strike against the hike in wholesale paper prices. 

​

When the American battleship the U.S.S. Maine sunk off the coast of Cuba in 1898, two New York newspapers were quick to blame the Spanish Empire, claiming they had been the cause of the attack on the ship and the deaths of the 266 crewmen onboard and nearby. Spain soon declared war on the United States because of this, and the U.S. declared war back. Over 2,000 Americans died in the war, battled were fought in numerous countries and colonies. After six months of fighting, a ceasefire began, but it took another six months before the war was officially declared over in February of 1899. 

​

Because neither broadcast radio nor television had been invented yet, newspapers were the main source of sharing the news. In the mid-1800s, newspapers were beginning to truly develop their own voices, opinions, and even stances on the political climate. In the 1890s, big-city newspapers began adding advertisements into their daily prints, creating a strong desire to increase circulation to a new level. Newsies helped with this immensely, and newspapers began looking to the young children to increase sales, especially throughout the Spanish-American War.

​

The huge and ridiculous headlines that many associate newsies with stemmed from this increase in circulation, and a term called "yellow journalism." Based on two cartoon characters who wore yellow in Pulitzer's The New York World and Hearst's The New York Journal, "yellow journalism" was a tactic used by newspaper companies and newsies alike to outsell other companies and newsies. The more outrageous the headline, the more likely the paper is to sell. This is what defined the Spanish-American War as the first "media war" in history. "Yellow journalism" still exists today - just think about all the times you've heard the terms "clickbait" or "fake news" in the past couple of years!