Spin zone

Christian Century, May 15, 2007

SPIN ZONE: The Iraq war was certainly not the first one to be encouraged by sectors of the media. The Spanish-American War, which freed Cuba from Spanish colonial rule, was set off when an explosion destroyed the USS Maine warship while it was docked in Havana, killing 266 crew members. Publisher William Randolph Hearst was itching for a fight with Spain. He sent hordes of reporters to Cuba to cover the explosion and within days was spinning the news to blame Spain. Other newspapers challenged the Hearst reports, but Hearst helped sway public opinion, and war against Spain was soon declared (Columbia Journalism Review, March/April).

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