ABSTRACT
“Muckraking: Reporters and Reform” looks at the successes and shortcomings of a crusading form of journalism that emerged at the turn of the twentieth century by reporters who practiced storytelling with reform efforts in mind. It profiles a group of writers who flourished at a time in which yellow journalism, a famous style of publishing, also thrived, and the chapter reveals the dynamics between this group of writers and the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, who at first supported them but then had to distance himself for political reasons. Using materials from this chapter, students should understand how the writers and publishers of this particular era left a mark in history as reformers who at times directly affected social conditions. They should also be able to identify other waves of muckraking and how following the money trail generated many of the most famous episodes of reporting in press history, and they should be able to identify contemporary journalists who might qualify for the title of “muckraker.” Key words, names, and phrases associated with Chapter 7 include: Jacob Riis, “How the Other Half Lives”; Josiah Flynt, “The World of Graft”; Lincoln Steffens, “The Shame of the Cities,” McClure’s; Upton Sinclair, The Jungle; and David Graham Phillips, “The Treason of the Senate,” Cosmopolitan.
