Judge — May 18, 1907 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon depicts a modern "Don Quixote" figure wielding a syringe labeled "YELLOW JOURNALISM" as a lance, attacking what appears to be a grotesque monster or demon. The cartoon satirizes sensationalist newspaper practices by comparing them to Cervantes' delusional knight tilting at windmills. The figure on the right, labeled "PARSANALIA" (likely referencing a publisher or editor), represents those promoting yellow journalism. The monster likely symbolizes corruption, moral decay, or societal ills that yellow journalism claims to combat but actually perpetuates. The satire suggests that crusaders against yellow journalism are themselves delusional—fighting imaginary enemies with ineffective weapons, just as Don Quixote mistook windmills for giants. The cartoon critiques both sensationalist media and self-righteous reformers opposing it.