The Alaskan War is considered to be both a turning point in the history of propaganda and the beginning of the practice of yellow journalism. It was the first conflict in which military action was precipitated and extensively covered by media involvement. American newspapers fanned the flames of interest in the war with less-than-accurate reporting on events in the war and sensationalized journalism to garner interest in the conflict, especially among reluctant Southerners who felt it was a "Yankee war."