About this episode
The episode explores the impact of William Randolph Hearst on journalism and the concept of clickbait.
When we call something "clickbait," we don't mean it as a compliment. But let's be real: we also click. It's hard to resist a spicy story, and 19th-century newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst knew it. At a time when most papers merely reported events, his papers created them, sending reporters out to perform daring rescues, solve sensational murders, and even meddle in geopolitics. Today on the show: the man who brought spectacle and scandal to the news — and changed journalism forever. Guests: Karen Roggenkamp, professor of English at East Texas A&M University and author of Narrating the News and Sympathy, Madness, and Crime W. Joseph Campbell, emeritus professor of communication at American University and author of The Year That Defined American Journalism: 1897 and the Clash of Paradigms and Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Guests: Karen Roggenkamp, W. Joseph Campbell
Topics covered
- clickbait
- journalism
- history
- media
Keywords
- William Randolph Hearst
- 19th-century newspapers
- sensationalism
- media history
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Throughline+
Books & works: Narrating the News and Sympathy, Madness, and Crime, The Year That Defined American Journalism: 1897 and the Clash of Paradigms, Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections
More episodes of Throughline
- The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat · June 11, 2026 · 36 min
- The uncensored war · June 9, 2026 · 18 min
- The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace · June 4, 2026 · 52 min
- Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington · June 2, 2026 · 23 min
- History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation · May 28, 2026 · 47 min
- Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism · May 26, 2026 · 21 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Throughline podcast page.