The United States experienced an impressive wave of economic and
industrial expansion during the last half the 19th century (Streitmatter, 93).
Political sentiment revolved around the success of American business and traded
in its previous notions of equality to focus on the importance of private gain
(Streitmatter, 94). As a result, corruption bled into the hands of business executives
and government officials. There was never a greater need for muckraking journalists
to step-in, investigate and inform. These journalists were progressive, and with
reform in mind, investigated to expose the actions of industrialists and
politicians, alike (Streitmatter, 94). Early pioneers of this form of
journalism aimed to provoke change in the realm of politics, industry and
social order, and often accomplished this change through their detailed stories
— often featured in magazines.
While this blog cannot highlight all of the many
earnest-muckraking journalists, it aims to illustrate this form of journalism and its emergence in the United States. This blog highlights three of the journalists who pioneered the movement toward investigation, accountability and
exposure.
