Americans’ first encounter with propaganda for World War I came in the form of newspapers. At first, the public was repulsed by the war, seeing the conflict as seemingly senseless, unnecessary and unjustified. However, once British propaganda made its way into mainstream American newspapers, such as Leslie’s Weekly Illustrated Newspaper attitudes began to change and Americans became interested in the fight. It was hard not to feel sympathy for the plights of the British, French and Belgians as represented in the newspapers.

The continued dominance of newspapers in the formulation of public opinion was largely because radio was still in its infancy and was not yet utilized for civilian or military communications. Newspapers in every city and small town in the Palmetto State reported the international scene in relation to the war, in addition to local efforts including reports of troop development, fundraising events, food drives, and public events such as rallies, parades, and concerts.

The assessment of larger papers across the country showed that most of the commentary and reports of the war were printed in the editorials, a section rarely read by many Americans. Strategically placed, many of the larger papers using this tactic attempted to reach a specific group of readers—affluent, highly literate white men. This, in turn, had the important economic and political effect desired by the papers, as the wealthy made the most influential financial and philosophical contributions to the war effort. This reaching out to the wealthy and more influential segment of South Carolina’s population negated the opportunity for most of the state’s citizens to voice their opinions in a manner that would have any impact on how the war would affect the Palmetto State and the nation.

Newspapers such as the Columbia Record (Midlands), the News and Courier in Charleston (Lowcountry), and the Greenville Times (Upstate) printed a great deal of material on the front page of their papers. These papers used a top-down approach in providing international news on the front page and progressing to local news by the last page. Editors of the most prominent South Carolina newspapers understood that the international scene in relation to America was important and that Carolinians needed to understand the government’s stance on the war. American sympathy for Britain, France and Belgium increased as headlines illustrated the horrors inflicted upon those nations under the siege of the oppressive German military.