Muckrakers were journalists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who exposed corruption and social issues, leading to reforms. The term comes from a speech by President Roosevelt. In British English, it refers to sensationalist journalism, while in the US, it covers important social issues. Muckrakers focus on the public interest and often rely on whistleblowers for factual information. Their work led to reforms at all levels of society.
The muckrakers were a group of journalists from the 1890s to the 1920s who turned American society upside down by exposing corruption and informing readers about important social issues. This term also often refers to journalists who follow in their footsteps by publishing complaints and fighting against corruption. The success of the progressive movement in the United States owes much to these journalists, who demonstrated that social reforms were badly needed. Famous examples include Upton Sinclair, Helen Hunt Jackson, Jessica Mitford, Ralph Nader and Seymour Hersh.
The term comes from a 1906 speech by President Roosevelt, in which he compared progressive journalists to a character in Pilgrim’s Progress. In British English, the term is used pejoratively to refer to a journalist who engages in sensationalism designed to stir up scandal. This type of journalism is better known in the United States as tabloid journalism. While these journalists often stir up scandals, they cover important social issues rather than relationships with celebrities or football hooligans.
In general, a muckraker focuses on the public interest. He or she works to expose government and corporate corruption, child labor, environmental abuse, and escalating crime. Secret whistleblowers are often a big part of muckraking, as was the case with Deep Throat and the Pentagon Papers. Whistleblowers are often inside the subject matter and can provide factual information that will allow a reporter to experience a story.
An exposition posted by a muckraker will typically be inspiring and address an important social issue. Regional ones focus on a variety of topics, from corrupt development patterns to woefully underreported crime rates. National reporters cover issues that affect the entire nation, such as corporate corruption, military spending and questionable political decisions. Others branch out into development journalism, covering scandals in the third world such as the exploitation of workers, the production of toxic food additives and environmental devastation.
The hard work of these reporters led to reforms at all levels of society, from the formation of the Food and Drug Administration to the purging of corporate criminals. They perform a vital public service by making citizens aware of pressing social and political issues and by ensuring that corruption does not escape the public eye. Like other journalists, they sometimes take big risks, but usually also make big money for themselves, their papers, and society at large.
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