Muckraking truly marked the most important time in journalistic history. According to Streitmatter it was the “golden age of reform”. Post WWII America’s economy expanded with its uses of offices, factories and manpower thus became a “country of the corporation, for the corporation, by the corporation.” Government developed laissez-faire policies that increased corporate profits while by-passing the common masses. Among these masses arose voices that would give perspective and dig deep into the abuses of government and corporate powers. Dozens of journalistic magazines through great writings and anecdotes gave voices to the peril and depraved.
The U.S. corporate sector was infected with corruption and it took intense investigative measures to bring out the coercion, that government was not willing deploy. President Theodore Roosevelt attacked these journalists for only highlighting the negatives in society, but how else could laws to protect the public have been made. They used the same power of the press that yellow journalism did, instead they benefited society as a whole. Yes they were Muckrakers, but is not their fault that underneath the surface of a capitalist society all there is, is muck, and thank goodness that there were pioneers to rake it.
1 comment:
Yes thank goodness, there's good people out there, passionate about their craft, their people...that's the type of person I aspire to be!, not intrested in material "corporate-Capitalist wealth", I want to forfill my purpose in life, leave a mark in society, the world, like these people did, and this is innate inside of me, something I can't fight, even if I wanted to.
Post a Comment