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Yellow Kid Murderer

created by BOZART

[Last scene of the last chapter]

I looked at her before slowly asking a question.

"Why did you kill them?"

The woman smiled.

"I'm a very fair person."

Her smile suddenly turned cold.

"I don't kill just anyone."

I proceeded to ask another question.

"Then why did you kill the ones that you did?"

She leaned over the table.

"Because they lied."

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Chapter.5

5.1

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I gave a face of bewilderment.

"They lied?"

The woman nodded her head.

"I gave them a fair chance."

I looked at her strangely as she continued.

"I always asked the same question."

"Question?"

"Yes. I told them that if they can answer the question correctly, they can live. Don't you think that's fair?”

I shook my head in shock.

"You must be crazy."

"But unfortunately, no one was able to answer the question correctly. In fact, they knew the correct answer but lied."

"What is this question that you speak of?"

"Simple. I asked them what the mission of modern journalism is."

"And?"

"Their answers were all wrong. There was simply nothing else that could be done about it."

"How did they answer?"

"They said the mission was to report the truth."

I stared blankly at her before opening my mouth to speak.

"And how is that possibly wrong?"

The woman's expression hardened.

"No. That's not the true mission."

"Then what is it?"

5.2

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The woman opened her mouth slowly.

"I take it that you remember our conversation when I said that Pulitzer was the one who created modern journalism."

I nodded my head and responded.

"Sure. More or less."

The woman smiled.

"Pulitzer hasn't had just a few influences on modern journalism. Of course, one of his most notable influences was his obsession with increasing subscription rates, which he was able to accomplish by publishing sensational articles that would stimulate the curiosity of the public."

"Sure."

"And he was able to earn a lot more money. And with money, you can do anything you want."

"Anything you want, you say?"

"Yes. He was able to truly show himself personally through his life."

"How so?"

"Pulitzer's second influence on modern media lied in his power and ability to develop strong ties with influential individuals."

"So you're saying that his achievement was to engage the press and powerful people?"

"Precisely. There's something that people didn't know about Pulitzer."

"And what's that?"

The woman gave a smirk.

"The fact that he was a politician before he was a journalist."

My eyes widened at that statement.

"Pulitzer? A politician?"

"I never told you. He was a politician before he began his career as a journalist. Remember that. But it wouldn't be accurate to say that he was a true politician."

The woman paused to make sure that I was paying attention and continued.

"While he was leading the New York World to success, he was elected to the New York House of Representatives."

"Really?"

"Although it wasn't long before he left that position."

"And why did he?"

"In the midst of a dispute with his opponent, he shot his opponent in the leg with a gun."

"What the hell..."

The woman continued.

"Although he gave up his official political title and life, he remained a political symbol throughout his life."

"What does that mean?"

The woman gave me a pathetic look.

"Who did I say helped cause the Spanish American war?

I nodded.

"Okay, okay. I got it. Yellow journalism led to the war so it's safe to say that Pulitzer was heavily involved in the process."

The woman gave a small nod of approval.

"The important thing to note is that he was able to make Roosevelt, a son of a banker, the president."

I couldn't help but agree with that statement.

"Since he believed that he himself created the president, his wisdom must have grown."

"Right. He took advantage of his influence on the media and was heavily involved in politics."

The woman paused and took a breath before continuing.

"However, due to his greed, he still wasn't content with his already strong influence on politics."

5.3

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"So then?”

"Even though he already received a lot of money and honor with yellow journalism, he did not want anyone else to share the same amount of fame."

"And so?"

"He decided to make journalism an official department of study.

I took a moment to process what the woman said.

"So he made journalism an actual major?"

"Yes. He was the founder of the journalism academy."

"How interesting..."

"But it wasn't easy for him to do so."

"And why was that?"

"When he initially proposed adding a journalism department at the University of Columbia to the president of the school, the idea was rejected."

"Why?"

"At the time, the president of the university knew very well who Pulitzer was."

"And what was his perception of Pulitzer?"

"Not only was Pulitzer a catalyst for the war with yellow journalism, but he also shot a political rival and changed the course of politics to political ambition."

"Then how is it that Columbia became the birthplace of the journalism department?"

"It was only after Pulitzer died that his dream came true. And it was only after his death that the Pulitzer Prize was created."

I stared at the woman, unable to believe the situation.

"Do you think journalists are aware of the fact that the Pulitzer Prize that they strive for all throughout their careers originated from the founder of yellow journalism?"

The woman stared at the clock.

"It seems like our time is almost up. It's time now to talk about Pulitzer's last achievement in modern journalism."

"Last achievement?"

"That's right. The last achievement..."

The woman took a deep breath before finishing her sentence.

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"New journalism."

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(to be continued...)

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