Ukraine (thread 1), Episode 14: When Headlines Start Wars: Hearst and the Russia-Ukraine Story

This episode examines how William Randolph Hearst's style of yellow journalism would frame the Russia-Ukraine war: simplifying villains, spotlighting victims, and using emotion to drive public demand for action.

Hearst's tools—dramatic images, moral clarity, and relentless headlines—turn complex geopolitics into a moral theater where neutrality feels like complicity and restraint looks like cowardice.

The episode traces the dangers and power of media-driven outrage: how stories can mobilize policy, sideline nuance, and make escalation politically difficult to resist.