Which factor is most closely associated with the decision of the united states to declare war on spain in 1898?

The answer is yellow journalism. The Spanish-American War (April-August 1898) is thought to be both a defining moment in the historical backdrop of purposeful publicity and the start of the act of yellow journalism. Yellow journalism made support for the Spanish-American War by composing articles about the sinking of the United States war vessel Maine in Havana Harbor