ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes child labor reform coverage in order to identify both the developments and setbacks reported in accounts of Northern and Southern reform efforts. It shows how the North-South dichotomy mirrored an urban-rural tension present in child labor reform journalism, a tension that is a problematic side effect of industrialization. A primary conflict in child labor reporting was the struggle between reformers and those opposed to regulating child labor. Early criticism of child labor practices focused on the nature of the work and the settings where the children were employed. Cynical views about the value of a formal education system arose with the increase in education as one of the primary motivators and outcomes of the move away from child labor. While journalism emphasized changing educational expectations as one major reason for reform, the era's press often gave similar emphasis to the physical effects of child labor.
