During the Progressive Era, writers and investigative reporters known as Muckrakers wrote about political corruption and injustices among known leaders in the government. They also raised awareness in social and economic issues. They received this name from president Theodore Roosevelt in reference to “The Man With the Muck Rake” in John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim's Progress” which states that a rake was used to dig up fifth and muck. The writers and journalist were not to fond of the term “muckraker” but they would let Theodore Roosevelt prerogative term “muckraker” be seen as a badge of honor. Muckrakers exposed these corrupt leaders through popular magazines and their own books. Some of the most famous muckrakers like, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell,…
A muckraker is someone who exposes the unpleasant truths that society likes to pretend don’t exist. Mark Twain was a muckraker. In Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, all the grime, racism, and vulgarity of the South in the mid 1800s, is depicted accurately and vividly. The story is set in St. Petersburg, Missouri, and follows a 13 year old boy, Huck, as he struggles against society internally to hold on to who he truly is, and externally to sneak a family slave up the Mississippi River and to the North. In this great American novel, Mark Twain utilizes his trademark sense of humor, and clever satirical writing style to pull readers in and show them the world from his realist point of view.…
Progressives used muckraking journalism to shine a light on the problems created by industrialization. What are some examples of muckraking today? How effective are these efforts? When President Roosevelt delivered his speech, “The Man with the Muck-rake” in April 1906, he spoke of two different types of muckrakers.…
I would not consider it an honor to be called a “muckraker” but I do think that it is important. I don’t think that it would be very honorable because you are trying to find out things that make people look bad. Then after you find something that could ruin the person’s life, it ends up all over the news and everyone knows about it. After that, the person or people are not going to like you because of what you did to them. That also makes you look bad as a person for doing that to people. Even though I don’t like muckrakers, I do think that what they do could be beneficial.…
The person I chose to learn more about was Jayson Blair former writer for the New York Times. I found an article penned by several writers within the New York Times entitled, CORRECTING THE RECORD-Times Reporter Leaves Long Trail of Deception (2003). This article was published in May of 2003 and gives a description of what Mr. Blair did wrong, how it was discovered, and the ultimate consequence that was handed down to Mr. Blair. During Mr. Blair tenure, at the New York Times, Mr. Blair became very good at using his cell phone, articles in other newspapers, and sometimes even pictures to write his stories. According to the article, Jayson Blair had problems, early on, with sticking to the truth in writing and was caught several times within the first few years of fabricating stories (2003). He was soon put under the…
There is a prominent saying that has stood the test of time, and that is “the pen is mightier than the sword”, and for journalists at the beginning of the 20th century it was more than just a saying; it was a way of life. Today, I will be exploring the derivation of the muckrakers; such a funny word isn’t it? If you break the word up it basically gives you the explanation, you see, muck means dirt and raker means to dig up. So fundamentally a muckraker is someone who likes to dig up dirt, but not just anybody or any dirt either. Muckraker is a term used to describe an investigative journalist who sought to expose corruption or scandal, particularly in politics or public affairs during the Progressive Era; and this type of journalism actually…
Muckraker: a negative, nefarious, and condescending term coined by President Theodore Roosevelt to insult the few nonconformists who have devoted their lives to exposing the corruption in society. But to some of these martyrs, such as Jessica Mitford, it is a noble and righteous title to hold. I believe that Mitford was correct and the term muckraker should be a title for these journalists to hold high in today’s society when its definition is someone who “searches out and publicly exposes real of apparent misconduct of a prominent individual or business.”…
According to Clint Brewer, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, “Whether you are the lowliest reporter or the most powerful corporate captain, that the practice of ethical journalism is what can help separate media entities from the proverbial pack.” Justine Sacco tweeted several tweets to her 170 Twitter friends about her trip to Africa, but she didn’t get any responses. So, when she tweeted a post saying, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white”! (Ronson, 68). In less than 24 hours, this brought Sacco international cyber ridicule. And the repercussion Sacco endured for not using common sense was losing her job and public humiliation. This example, shows not using common sense can destroy a person or person’s life. The ethical lesson that it teaches people should always keep their professional principles and values because they never know who is watching…
In the journalistic world, there are ethical considerations that journalists must reflect on in their routine journalism duties. A disregard of these may consequently lead to implications that have a major impact on a journalist’s career. However it is understandable why many journalists choose to disregard the ethical considerations they may be faced with. Both institutional and commercial pressures can play a role in a journalist’s disregard for ethical considerations in their job. Although journalists are provided with guidelines to follow when faced with ethical issues the desire to please and perform can outweigh the desire to do what is morally right.…
Critics contend this type of journalism usually consists of reporting mere basic details and often includes the misrepresentation of facts and ignorance of contextual issues. The journalist often lacks in-depth knowledge of the situation and is usually disoriented because of the strangeness of the environment he or she is in. Often the only information immediately available is from other news organizations or from "official" or bureaucratic sources that may contain propaganda.…
Like many broader ethical systems, journalism ethics include the principle of "limitation of harm." This often involves the withholding of certain details from reports such as the names of minor children, crime victims ' names or information not materially related to particular news reports release of which might, for example, harm someone 's reputation.[7][8]…
Media sensationalism can lead the ruin of personal life.The most recent one was a case where the mother was acquitted for the child's murder by the Court. But media channels already etched her as a murderer in our minds making her life a hell in our society. I don't think anybody would ever believe her side of story and even though she was found not guilty, papers and news telecasters had already crucified her as a devil in disguise. There is nobody could do anything for her.Her personal life has been completely ruined due to the media sensationalism.…
Edgar Allen Poe once summed up the idea of sensationalism in journalism in once of his short stories, Mystery of Marie Roget. "We should bare in mind that, in general, it is the object of our news-papers [This was written before the age of electronic journalism] rather to create a sensation - to make a point - than to further the cause of truth. The latter end is only pursued when it seems coincident with the former." Many journalists write only what sounds good, not what is true. At the checkout lane in the grocery store, there are many magazines full of…
The average person has no real idea of how the media find their stories, but the prevailing view seems to be that reporters go out and find all of their news. This is simply not realistic thinking! There just aren’t enough reporters on the planet to find every bit of news worth covering. So if…
Journalism has long been a high-risk profession, many journalists and reporters have put their lives on the line for a story.…