Citizen Hearst: A Comparison of William Randolph Hearst and Citizen Kane

Orson Welles was undoubtedly one of the most talented filmmakers of his time. Along with the innovative camerawork and advanced cinematic techniques that made Citizen Kane a success, Welles also allowed for viewers to connect with his film by providing them with a real life example of the main character. Citizen Kane owned a massive estate called Xanadu that was based upon Hearst's San Simeon. Kane and Hearst were also newspaper magnates who used very similar techniques to gain readers and also operated their newspapers in a comparable manner. Finally, both individuals had affairs with young women involved in the entertainment industry and both Kane and Hearst
In 1985, Hearst purchased his second newspaper, the New York Morning Journal. In doing so, he gained Joseph Pulitzer's New York World as a competitor. It was at this point that Hearst established himself as one of the most successful publishers in the nation by demonstrating his superior business strategies and use of resources. Hearst recruited prized journalists among the likes of Stephen Crane and Julian Hawthorne and even went as far as to "steal" popular cartoonist Richard F. Outcault from Pulitzer, thus increasing the rivalry between the two newspapers. Hearst is also famous for his use of fictional articles in order to increase interest in the paper. Moreover, Hearst lowered the price of the newspaper to a mere one-cent, which caused its circulation to increase drastically. Charles Foster Kane used similar tactics to compete against the Inquirer's rival, the Chronicle. Like Hearst, Kane gathered a team of able writers and printed fictitious stories in order to promote his newspaper. Kane and Hearst were similar in that they both advanced the success of their newspapers by employing cunning tactics, such as using made-up articles to draw in public interest and by hiring esteemed journalists. Another link can be made between the two men, as both Kane and Hearst interfered with their partners' professions by forcing them into careers that did not suit their abilities.