It is not a surprise that journalists go to extreme lengths in order to get “dirt” on a certain subject. These journalists are often given the title of “muckraker.” The term holds many connotations; some believe that they are journalists who go a bit too far, while others believe that they are simply people whose main goal is to expose any sort of misconduct. Many people disagree on whether or not being given the title of a “muckraker” is honorable, and it causes a lot of arguments in the modern era. Because of this, it is important that everyone eventually ends up on the same side to prevent further disagreement. Some people, including Jessica Mitford, believe that it is an honor to be deemed the so-called “Queen of the Muckrakers.” Of course, this is sometimes found to be true. Being called a muckraker can most definitely be a positive thing because it can lead to the exposition of scandals and can eventually make the world a better place to live. For example, there were several political scandals during the 1870s. William “Boss” Tweed was a robber baron who had owned most of the land in New York City, directed a federal bank, and had even become a representative for the state of New York. Consequently, most people trusted him with their assets. Unfortunately, Tweed was corrupt and spent the people’s money on trivial things such as land and more businesses. Samuel Tilden was not a member of the majority, and at the time became suspicious of Tweed’s affairs. He was a journalist and, after extensive searching, he had found several documents that proved his accusations against Tweed to be true. Tweed was immediately thrown in jail, and Tilden was hailed to be a hero. In 1876, Tilden was even placed on the presidential ballot again... ... middle of paper ... ...l car chase. What was their goal? Simply to get one photograph of her and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. Causing any sort of physical harm in order to report a simple story than one will often call “smut” is ridiculous. Being called a muckraker is all but honorable in 99% of cases. The word “muckraker” can be defined differently depending on the circumstances. However, if the story harms more people than it benefits, journalists begin to fit into Roosevelt’s definition of the word. You should not be a journalist if you are going to be focusing on trivial things. By accepting the idea that being a muckraker is not honorable, you will not only improve society, but you will also improve your own individual life by ending hate and false accusations on a daily basis. If everyone disagrees with the idea of muckraking, the world will be on its way to becoming a better place.
...arbell certainly fit into the muckraker personae, she disliked the muckraker label (Weinberg). Tarbell wrote the article "Muckraker or Historian," in which she justified her efforts for exposing the oil trust (King). She in no way wanted to stir up society; she simply wanted to show the Standard Oil Company's misuse of power and have it stopped.
Clare Boothe Luce, an American journalist and politician, delivered a speech in 1960 to the Women’s National Press Club in front of the American press to criticize journalists for the misinformation they publish in order to challenge them to start publishing the truth rather than writing what the public wants to hear. Luce appeals to the audience of journalists using her role as a politician, comparison, and emphasis to persuade journalists to start writing the truth, no matter how dull, in order for American citizens to truly understand what is going on in today’s society. Throughout the speech, Luce speaks to the audience of journalists about how the information they release shouldn’t be falsified for a myriad of buyers or views. Although
At their start, muckrakers were effective, as they targeted the white, middle class population; a population capable of enacting changes. Yet, as multimedia news has arisen, individuals all of socioeconomic backgrounds have access to news, and due to bias broadcasting people are becoming jaded to the news. Hence, the reputation and credibility of modern muckrakers is growing increasingly weak. At the beginning of the 20th century, the country started to go through a political and economic change.
Stein, Harry H. "American Muckrakers and Muckraking: The 50-Year Scholarship," Journalism Quarterly, Spring 1979 v56 n1 pp 9-17
In the late 1800s to the early 1900s people there were people called “Muckrakers”. These were the people that uncovered the ugly truth of things like meatpacking apartments. One of the books written was Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle. Their goals were to uncover a problem to the public then try to eliminate it. In the Progressive Era, muckrakers tried to point out things that no one else knew about. Muckrakers were very influential people during the Progressive Era.
Since the beginning of journalism there has been a controversial debate over ethics and the extent to which a journalist may go to obtain a story. According to W.E.B. Dubois, integrity, honesty, decency, and courage are four primary ethical principles every person should follow. Author Janet Malcolm dives deep into the ethics of journalism in her groundbreaking publication The Journalist and the Murderer. Malcolm analyzes the ethics of best-selling author Joe McGinniss during his time developing a story on Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald.
Muckraking, “to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics” (dictionary.com). Upton Sinclair gained fame in the early 1900’s from his muckraking novel, The Jungle, describing the life of a young Lithuanian immigrant, Jurgis, living in Chicago in pursuit of the American dream. Jurgis found out that America isn’t as good as it appeared; with higher wages came more expensive goods, and with cheaper houses came higher interest rates. The Jungle, a fictional novel, tells of the real horrors of working in a Chicago meat packing factory. Sinclair had gone undercover, in a meat factory, for seven weeks to gain the information necessary to write the book. Throughout the novel, there are hints of Sinclair’s belief in Socialism.
Arguing that the experiences of the McCarthy years profoundly influenced the practice of journalism, he shows how many of the issues faced by journalists in the 1950s prefigure today's conflicts over the right of journalists to protect their sources. The journalists’ treatment was unfair that is why they believed that going to jail is better than stating false facts in front of the court because they were innocent. “If you don’t stand for what you believe in, don’t risk a decision because you think you might lose, I think that is a short-sighted approach” (Alwood, 148) This is a fascinating and detailed look at one aspect of the McCarthy era that continues to influence contemporary journalism.
Ida Tarbell, one of the first "muckrakers," as they came to be called, agreed that journalists should strive for truth. Her
During the Progressive Era Theodore Roosevelt coined the term “muckraker” to characterize journalists that he believed overdid themselves when researching a story, comparing them to someone stirring up the mud at the bottom of a pond. However, while Roosevelt created the nickname, he also used the muckrakers’ influence to directly appeal to the American people. Journalists who are considered muckrakers do not go too far in the pursuit of their stories because they are using their positions to expose the ills of the government, big business, and society; it is beneficial to the American people.
In Chapter 5, Covering America, Christopher Daly, delves into the history of journalism and discusses the various changes over time. These changes can be referred to as, Yellow Journalism and new journalism. Yellow Journalism is primarily based on exaggerations and sensationalism. Both Pulitzer and Hearst used rash headlines in order to sell more papers, if an effort to convince the public that the sinking of the USS Maine was done by the Spanish. Although, Yellow Journalism shocked its reader, it was not the only style of journalism. The penny press allowed for the creation of New Journalism.
They also focused on their own reporting skills and often work to expose political corruption. Some muckrakers were members of the press that expose the abuses of business which they had to investigate the corruption in order to expose the problems in the American life. The muckrakers had to recall some efforts of early reformers who had caused corruption in printing. Muckrakers had many different problems expose to them that they notice very quick which were; the lack of education, the rise in crimes and effects on alcohol abuse, rights of women and the right for Women’s Suffrage, and the rights of workers and their living conditions.
The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...
In extreme situations, journalists choose the angle they can find, tick the boxes to the news worthiness, but never having a stand. According to Kempf, journalists fulfill certain criteria of newsworthiness and fake empirical evidence, which implements propaganda and in the journalists’ defense “that it did not matter the pictures were faked since they only showed what people already ‘knew’ and since they served the goal of opening the eyes of the public” (Kempf 2002, p. 60). Various examples from the War on Terror, where journalists and reporters would fake evidence just to gain more audiences but examples like this could elevate the issues, and it is as if this responsibility of Journalism of Attachment only adds fuel to the fire and this is done in the name of peace (Kempf 2002).
In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.