Answer:
The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in 1898 was reported by the newspapers with the exaggerated and assumed claim that the Spanish had done it. Though there was no proof of it and an inquiry hadn't found the real reason, the assumption in the press allowed for the spread of the rumor among the people and also helped sell more papers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yellow journalism is the form of reporting that makes exaggerated claims and did not give much real news with the facts involved. Rather, the report will make claims and arguments that are not backed, and help spread false news catching the reader's attention and profits and gains.
The 1898 explosion of the U.S.S. Maine was one event that is an example of yellow journalism because the news reports such as the New York Journal made it a huge issue by plastering its front page with the headline "Spanish Treachery". Considering the simmering situation between the US and Spain at that time, any at of violence will be seen as a catalyst by the other and would be used as the one tipping point to start a war. So, these false accusations, even before an inquiry can be done about the explosion, led the people to believe the Spanish army did it and thus, helped spread the false rumor and also sell more papers. In reality, the explosion was believed to be from a submerged mine.