Origins and development of sensationalist crime journalism in Spain (1883-1917)

Summary

This paper posits the existence of a consolidated and influential press of events (in terms of circulation and the journalistic changes it introduced) in Spain during the Restoration (1874-1923). Some editors put into practice this way of attracting the attention and interest of the public, appealing to news marked by tragedy and death. Through the analysis of the weeklies Las Noticias Ilustradas (1883), Los Sucesos (1904-1917), Las Novedades (1908) and La Semana Ilustrada (1917), we observe the growing rivalry at the time around sensationalist journalism. We focus on publishers such as Eduardo Sojo, Domingo Blanco Misamigo or the Estampa publishing house to evidence the business bets that consolidate the Spanish version of the red chronicle press, as well as the narrative characteristics employed and the emergence of graphic journalism of events.