REFORM AND THE MUCKRAKERS

1. REFORM AND THE MUCKRAKERS Early investigative journalism its impact on the Progressive Movement

2. What is a muckraker??? • A muckraker is a journalist/writer that exposes TRUTHFUL stories about social problems such as: • Corruption • Industrial problems • General social ills

3. Why are these people important? • Investigative journalists write stories that can greatly shape public opinion. • Because of the ability to change public attitudes, they have a lot of influence in shaping public policy because angry people demand action by the government. • During the progressive era these people were vital in making public all the corruption, unfair, and unsafe things happening in society.

4. Who were the muckrakers? • Lincoln Steffens: Wrote about government corruption and political machines. • Ida Tarbell: Her work exposed the unfair practices of the Standard Oil Company • Jacob Riis: He wrote about slums and poor living conditions in the cities. • Upton Sinclair: His book “The Jungle” exposed the horrors of the meat industry in Chicago, as well as the plight of the workers in the area.

5. Getting the Word Out • Muckrakers were writers, newspaper reporters, and political cartoonists back in the day. • These were the main sources of media available to most people back then. • How would Muckrakers bring attention to their stories today, and how might this impact their effectiveness?

6. Watergate • The “Watergate” scandal during the Nixon Presidency forever changed American attitudes toward the government leading to a lot of mistrust. • Two men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, working for the Washington Post found evidence of scandal and corruption that eventually forced Richard Nixon to resign his Presidency. • It is the only time a sitting President has resigned.

7. If you were a Muckraker today, how would you go about informing the public about problems and issues in society? • What media outlets would you use to get your message out? • How might cost impact the media outlets that you choose? • How could you work the get the maximum number of people to get your message? • How has the growth of the internet changed the way that we get messages out to the public?

8. Muckraking and Roosevelt • President Roosevelt was very supportive of the idea of muckraking, believing that if done properly, could lead to a better society through government efforts to stop abuses and corruption.

10. The Jungle • The popular book, written by Upton Sinclair, was instrumental in changing the way that we eat as well as the role of government in protecting the consumer. • It exposed the horrors of the meat packing industry, and made people think twice about the way companies did business during the Progressive Era

11. The Meat Inspection Act (1906) • The Jungle hit home when this law was passed, the law required: • Animals be inspected before and after slaughter. • Set sanitary standards for slaughterhouses. • Allowed the government to inspect slaughter operations whenever it chose. • It did not mean the end of dangerous food, but helped 

12. Consumer Protection Laws • The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906): • Made companies label habit forming drugs. • Only allowed people to get drugs if prescribed by a doctor. • Ingredients had to be included on any food or drug product that was a combination of different ingredients. • This law was the first of its kind, and increased the role of the government in regulating business.

13. Relevance today • Today the government is much more involved in ensuring the safety of consumer products, examples: • Nutrition facts on food labels • Patents and studies to ensure safety of drugs • Safety standards for cars and trucks • Generally overseeing the safety of consumer products and organizing recalls of unsafe items.

14. Overcoming the Gilded Age • Many conservative Republicans did not like Roosevelt because he was not afraid to go after bad businesses. • Roosevelt and Congress had to overcome the same lobbyists that are in Washington today, though they were not as powerful or well funded as they are today to pass these laws. • In the end, the balance of power between consumer and business was more tilted toward the consumer, and we are all probably a little safer because of it.