Reporting in general is all about who, what, when, why, and where. Journalism is a higher order of reporting. Journalism adds style and analysis by looking beyond the apparent story, but investigative journalism digs deep to find the wrong ” these journalists find the dirt.
American politicians have always been sensitive to “public pressure,” and the investigative journalists of the early 20th century led public opinion.
Early in the heyday of investigative journalism President Teddy Roosevelt called them “muckrakers.” In 1906 this politician resented the new type of journalist. Trying to reform capitalist monopoly, Roosevelt felt these journalists were irresponsible. In his mind investigative reporters went too far.
Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” portrayed immigrant life through their lives at a Chicago meatpacking company. First published in newspapers in a series, the 1906 novel was more sensational for its descriptions of food handling. Sinclair’s observations became part of the progressive movement, but public outcry over unsanitary conditions led directly to reform legislation.
Roosevelt called Sinclair a “crackpot” and fought the heavy regulation the public was demanding, but legislators paid attention to the public outcry. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed becoming the first significant food safety law.
Ida Tarbell gained notoriety for her magazine articles exposing corporate corruption. As a investigative journalist she is best know for her 1904 book “The History of the Standard Oil Company.” Tarbell was one of the first journalists to take on the rich and powerful. Her meticulous attention to detail documented Standard Oil’s, and its CEO John D. Rockefeller’s, abuse of the public trust.
Tarbell, Sinclair, and others brought to the public’s attention to a wide range issues. The work of progressive era investigative reporters pressured politicians to reform how business is done in America ” a continuing legacy of journalism in the public interest to this day.