Final answer:
William Randolph Hearst did not directly cause the Spanish-American War, but his sensationalist yellow journalism contributed to the public pressure for American intervention fueled by economic interests and the USS Maine explosion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that William Randolph Hearst caused the Spanish-American War to increase his newspaper circulation is a part of yellow journalism history. While Hearst's and Joseph Pulitzer's newspapers extensively covered the cruelty of Spanish colonial rule and the Cuban insurgency, employing sensationalist reporting to garner readership, there is no concrete evidence that Hearst directly caused the war.
Rather, these media practices greatly influenced public sentiment by depicting Spanish atrocities in Cuba, thus contributing to the climate of outrage and empathy towards the Cuban cause that led to American intervention.
American intervention in the war was also driven by economic interests in Cuba and the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana harbor, an event sensationalized by the press to blame Spain. The war resulted in the end of Spanish control over Cuba and Puerto Rico and later brought up ethical debates about American imperialism, especially regarding the Philippines.