Joseph Pulitzer

Lore & Background

Pulitzer attempted to enlist in various European armies before emigrating to the United States. After the war, Pulitzer moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where his German language skills proved useful. That year, he became a reporter for the German-language newspaper Westliche Post. His first published news story was an account of a fraudulent job scheme. He served as a state representative and voted for the Fifteenth Amendment.

Reader's Guide

Joseph Pulitzer's significance lies in his transformation of American journalism and his enduring legacy through the Pulitzer Prizes. As publisher of the New York World, he engaged in a fierce circulation war with William Randolph Hearst, developing yellow journalism that relied on sensationalism, crime, and graphic horrors to attract readers. This approach opened the way to mass-circulation newspapers that depended on advertising revenue rather than cover price or political subsidies. The university awards prizes annually for excellence in American journalism, photography, literature, history, poetry, music, and drama. His career illustrates the rise of modern mass media and the complex interplay between sensationalism and journalistic achievement.

Did You Know?

• Pulitzer was rejected by the Austrian Army, the French Foreign Legion, and the British Army before being recruited to fight for the Union in the American Civil War.
• He sold his only possession, a white handkerchief, for 75 cents to travel to St. Louis.
• He was nicknamed 'Shakespeare' by attorneys because of his extraordinary profile.
• Pulitzer was only 22 when elected to the Missouri state legislature, three years under the required age.