Muckrakers Under the Microscope Muckrakers were investigative journalists who exposed corruption in business or government, or examined serious societal issues. Several of the most well-known muckrakers worked for McClures Magazine, where they wrote exposs on large companies, meat slaughtering houses, and city governments. These prominent and influential reporters included Ida M. Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, and Ray Stannard Baker. Now suppose that you, too, are an investigative journalist. Instead of choosing a business or government, you have been asked to write a piece on one of the muckrakers. Which muckraker will you investigate? And how much information will you be able to provide? (100 points) Score 1. Write a well-constructed article on one muckraker using the outline you created during your website research. Keep the following points in mind as you write your essay: Include important biographical information about the individuals life. Give specific examples of articles and books that were written. What businesses or government offices were targeted in theexposs? What reforms or changes took place as a result of the individuals writings?
INTRODUCTION :The term muckraker refers to those set of journalists who were reform minded and wrote for all popular magazinesand their writing were based on investigative journalism,which means that they carried our investigations and exposed the work of organisations,who were practising social ills and political corruption. The magazine was popularly known as MCCLURE’S and its publisher was SSMCCLURE and hence,they are named after the name of publisher… They normally took on corporate monopolies and crooked political machines and even lead to the raising of public awareness,brought out the unsafe working conditions and even addressed social issues like CHILD LABOUR. ORIGIN :The MUCKRAKERS are mostly associated with progressive era of American history.The movement of journalist emerged in the U.S after1900 and continued to influence people till world war1. The movement had a very disappointed Ending because of combination of boycotts,dirty tricks and patriotism. The journalism profession under muckrakers was also referred to as WATCHDOG JOURNALISM. The president of U.S. THEODORE ROOSEVELT once addressed to the character of MUCKRAKERS and said “THE MEN WITH THE MUCK RAKES ARE OFTEN INDISPENSABLE TO THE WELL BEING OF SOCIETY,BUT ONLY IF THEY KNOW WHEN TO STOP RAKING THE MUCK,,,,,” SOME WORK THAT PREDATE THE MUCKRAKERS 1.HELEN HUNT JACKSON(1831-1885) – A CENTURY OF DISHONOUR, and he exposed the U.S policy regarding native americans. 2
