The Dirty Truth: Muckraking in the Progressive Era
THE DIRTY TRUTH
As the Civil War concluded and the era of Reconstruction began, America tried to cure the tribulations society had fostered. More specifically, the Progressive Movement tried to repair the problems by reformation and cultivation of a better country. Some activists removed themselves from civilization and created utopian communities, while others struggled for equal rights and temperance. However, the success of all reforms came greatly from the work of “muckraking” journalists and the exposure they generated. These progressive journalists commented on not only reforms, but also on the corruption that was causing the people to rebel. Reporters like Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair brought attention to nation-wide topics of government corruption and food safety regulations. These articles were written in extremely popular magazines and newspapers like McClure Magazine and The World newspaper, and paved the way for publications of today like Cosmopolitan and Redbook. Today, we think of “muckraking” as a typical part of life—just simply the way we receive our news. But beginning in the late 1800s, a group of journalists later referred to as “muckrakers” banded together to expose and to inform the public of the immense corruption of many social issues, and thus, changed the way society was viewed. As stated in Mark Feldstein’s article, muckraking, also called investigative reporting, is done for the purpose of “fact gathering to challenge authority and oppose the abuse of power—political, governmental, corporate, or religious—on behalf of ordinary citizens.” These journalists seek to improve the country by pointing out what is wrong, rather than trying to overthrow the entire system. The writing played an important part in passing laws and acts of the time, as well as simply informing the population of the sinking of the government. While the muckrakers were typically well intentioned in exposing corruption and crime to the public, many
As the Civil War concluded and the era of Reconstruction began, America tried to cure the tribulations society had fostered. More specifically, the Progressive Movement tried to repair the problems by reformation and cultivation of a better country. Some activists removed themselves from civilization and created utopian communities, while others struggled for equal rights and temperance. However, the success of all reforms came greatly from the work of “muckraking” journalists and the exposure they generated. These progressive journalists commented on not only reforms, but also on the corruption that was causing the people to rebel. Reporters like Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair brought attention to nation-wide topics of government corruption and food safety regulations. These articles were written in extremely popular magazines and newspapers like McClure Magazine and The World newspaper, and paved the way for publications of today like Cosmopolitan and Redbook. Today, we think of “muckraking” as a typical part of life—just simply the way we receive our news. But beginning in the late 1800s, a group of journalists later referred to as “muckrakers” banded together to expose and to inform the public of the immense corruption of many social issues, and thus, changed the way society was viewed. As stated in Mark Feldstein’s article, muckraking, also called investigative reporting, is done for the purpose of “fact gathering to challenge authority and oppose the abuse of power—political, governmental, corporate, or religious—on behalf of ordinary citizens.” These journalists seek to improve the country by pointing out what is wrong, rather than trying to overthrow the entire system. The writing played an important part in passing laws and acts of the time, as well as simply informing the population of the sinking of the government. While the muckrakers were typically well intentioned in exposing corruption and crime to the public, many
Bibliography: Chambers, Julius. A Mad World and its Inhabitants. London: Gilbert and Rivington, 1876. Feldstein, Mark. “A Muckraking Model: Investigative Reporting Cycles in American History.” The International Journal of Press/Politics, 2006. Protess, David L. Fay Lomax Cook, Jack D. Doppelt, James S. Ettema, Margaret T. Gordon, Donna R. Leff, and Peter Miller. The Journalism of Outrage: Investigative Reporting and Agenda Building in America. New York: Guilford, 1991.