At the end of the 19th Century, innovations in printing allowed news publishers to print faster, cheaper, and in higher numbers than ever before. Newspaper prices dropped enough that the average person could afford a paper, and publishers competed for the best, most thrilling story that would sell the most papers. 

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The style that emerged from this stiff competition became known as "yellow journalism." Noted especially for its sensationalism, the yellow journalism style had several hallmarks, including: 

• Prominent headlines

• Lavish photos (not always related to the article)

• Faked or embellished interviews and stories 

• Sympathy for underdogs and the common person's plight

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One of the biggest names in yellow journalism was William Randolph Hearst, owner of several papers across the nation, including the Atlanta Georgian. Hearst's reporters needed an eye for the sensational and fictional, writing stories that would grip the reader, though at the expense of facts or any pretense of objectivity. Atlanta's two other primary newspapers, the Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal, fought to keep up with Hearst's news empire. In the Frank case, this meant coming up with new angles or headlines and often fabricating new stories. 

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The newspapers continued to whip up public interest in the trial by publishing sensational stories, often including unverified reports that sought to blemish Frank’s character. These include hints from the Atlanta police force that there existed telephone operators who could prove that Mary was called to the factory the day of her murder as well as stories from a local brothel madam who claimed to have a working relationship with Frank, who frequented her brothel. These unsubstantiated stories were later proven false, but they sold well.