Yellow Journalism and the USS Maine There were several reasons why the United States went to war with Spain. Specifically, Yellow Journalism had a massive influence on the American public in the United States leading up to the war. Newspapers like William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World sensationalized stories and used exaggerated headlines to attract readership. The callous nature of this style of journalism sparked sympathy from the American public, seemingly prompting the U.S to intervene based on this and the published stories surrounding the Cuban struggle with Spain for its independence. Another reason that the United States decided to take action against Spain was because of the explosion and sinking of the naval ship the USS Maine. On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine, an American battleship, exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba. The explosion ended up killing 266 American sailors and started a massive speculation on what or who was to blame for this disaster. At the time, the explosion was widely attributed to Spanish