Everyone has struggled with the question of what really caused the explosion of the U. S. S. Maine in Havana, Cuba. A mysteriously sank of the ship. Who was to blame? Spain controlled Cuba at the time. So, was it Cuba, Spain, or was it a malfunction in the ship that caused the explosion? These led to newspaper publishers such as William Randolph Hearst´s New York Journal and Joseph
Pulitzer of the New York World two editor´s who developed a passion for journalism and wrote ¨ Shameful treachery¨: Hearst´s Journal Blames Spain and ¨Suspended Judgment¨: A Times editorial on the Maine Tragedy based on truth but written with incendiary language causing polemic among readers.

Hearst´s saw the possibility of war with Spain as a big story that would attract American readers and would eventually sell more papers. He described the situation in Cuba as a place that needed to be release from anarchy. But it was the sinking of the Maine that leads us into war with Spain.
Hearst printed out stories that the U.S.S. Maine was blown up by Spanish torpedo, which was laid in the harbor, as to not interfere with Cuba revolting against them, it painted Spain as the bad guy, and responsible for the death of 260 American Soldiers.
He points out the importance of an immediately act of war versus Spain to Liberate Cuba from the oppression of Spaniards and for the destruction of the U.S. Maine in Havana. To achieve this goal,
Hearst stories were base on true statements but written with dramatic and exaggeration to get the attention of American readers.

¨It has destroyed three hundred seamen. We have endured it long enough. Whether a Spanish torpedo sank the Maine or not, peace must be restored in Cuba at once. We cannot have peace without fighting for it.¨

Shameful of Treachery had no doubts of who was responsible for sinking the Maine.

In Pulitzer´s article there is no evidence to approve or disapproved treachery. His way of viewing the situation was on the contrary, an unfortunate incident where many seamen’s lost their lives due to a blew up with no determined cause. The only evident is that, it was some high explosive that destroyed the ship. Pulitzer stands that we must wait to the inspection before judging Spain and go to an unnecessary war. He also emphasizes that the Spaniards were not in the best position on getting into war with the United States.

¨Nobody is so foolish to believe that the Maine was destroyed by Spaniards with the knowledge and connivance of the Government.¨

Pulitzer wanted to make things clear that Spaniards were innocent until proving guilty. It could have been so many things like the mine, torpedo or an engine problem, but to this day it still remains a mystery as to the exact cause of the sinking of this great ship.

After reading ¨Suspended Judgment¨ and ¨Shameful Treachery¨, I came to the conclusion that
Pulitzer´s (Suspended Judgment article) was looking the best interest for the countries to not go to war. Well clearly everyone has different points of view about the history event. One according to their opinion defending their country and the other standing in the middle of the two countries that were against each other.