Muckrakers, the Progressive Era, and Investigative Journalism

On the surface, it may not seem like a large one, but after learning about both it is clear to see that there is a very stark difference between Yellow Journalism and Muckraking, and that is the truth. Simply put, yellow journalism is about sensational and exaggerating things to attract the attention of the reader while Muckraking is pulling the reader in by exposing the truth about a company/person's wrongdoings.

There are reasons people may view both of these journalism styles as bad or negative, and it revolves around the fact that both of these styles can ruin people's lives and businesses. Muckrakers like Ida Tarbell, who published a series of articles that shifted into her book, The History of the Standard Oil Company, which exposed John D. Rockefeller as a greedy monopolist who was using questionable business practices to reduce competition and control prices in the oil industry. Those who use yellow journalism could ruin people's lives by perpetuating slander and spreading fake information that could result in job loss or even in more server cases lead people to commit crimes or kill themselves.

The main people who would consider these practices bad would be the ones who are doing something wrong. The robber barons and business tycoons who have gotten their hands dirty and have something to be exposed to would extremely oppose the practices of these muckrakers. On the other hand, the general public would cheer these investigative journalists on and be pleased with the secrets they are bringing to light. 

The question is posed "How is the term "muckraker" related to the term "whistleblower" and the answer is an easy one. They align closely with one another, muckrakers exposing the corruption of politicians and corporations through reporting and whistleblowers are individuals who are normally involved with an organization that they expose through private/insider information. A follow up question in this discussion may be "why are muckrakers like Upton Sinclair praised while wistleblowers like Julian Assange are hated and wanted criminals?" To answer this one, it is simply a matter of public security and what the government deems "a threat." In Upton Sinclair's case, who wrote wrote "The Jungle" to expose the appalling working conditions in the meat-packing industry, he exposed something that benefited the public and brought about good change that bettered American society. Julian Assange, who you can learn more about in one of my previous blog posts, leaked sensitive government information that could jeopardize the safety of the American people and exposed the government's wrongdoings. Was it essential and information the public deserved to know, yes. Was it something that put the average American in danger with, also yes, 

The progressive era was one chalked full of change, and Muckrakers played a large role in it. There is no denying that without their influence America and journalism today would not be the same. 

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