One presentation topic that very much stood out to me in the second round of EOTOs was The Muckrakers. I was able to seamlessly connect this presentation with my own on Jacob Riis, since his publication, "How The Other Half Lives" kickstarted the idea of muckraking journalism. Jacob Riis was considered a muckraker for his raw honesty and willingness to expose the truth. This connection allowed me to gain a better understanding of what exactly a muckraker was and is.
According to the presentation, the muckrakers were a group of journalists whose priority was to report on true and completely accurate stories that had to do with both economic and political corruption. In simpler terms, the muckrakers' job was to rake the muck, or fake news, out of the media. The group aimed to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, exposing those who did wrong to the general public.
Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase during one of his speeches in the early 1900s while discussing the impact that the muckrakers had on legislative decisions. Some journalists did not enjoy getting called, "muckrakers", whereas others absolutely loved it! At first, the muckrakers followed the format of yellow journalism, which boasted bold headlines and large exaggerations to grasp the reader's attention. After a while, the muckrakers found that it was time to switch things up, and they began to write in a more organized and thoughtful manner. The point of muckraking was to cut the bullshit and get straight to the point without embellishing anything. Yellow journalism did not serve to properly represent that idea.
There were many impressive muckraker journalists at the time, but one that caught my eye most was Ida Tarbell. Female journalists weren't exactly a foreign idea as time went on, but I believe female representation in any and all areas of journalism is important. Tarbell exposed the wrongdoings of the Standard Oil Company, and her findings eventually aided in the company's dissolution. Talk about power!
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