JOURNALISM DURING THE GILDED AGE

Muckraking and Yellow Journalism

MUCKRAKING

EXAMINING THE PICTURE Who?

Teddy Roosevelt What?

Investigating reports of disgusting conditions in the meat packing industry

Why? Muckraking

techniques by Upton Sinclair

How? Expose the reality,

remove the gild

Fun Fat:Muckrakers are named such because they “rake up the muck” of society in order to show how filthy it really is!

DEFINITION muck·rak·ing (ˈməkˌrākiNG) noun: muckraking; noun: muck-raking

the action of searching out and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way.

Journalism technique that uses facts, images, and details to expose the reality of a situation, regardless of social norm. Investigative journalism about topics that make

people feel uncomfortable. Poverty, racism, homelessness, child abuse, spousal

abuse, animal neglect… the stuff you don’t talk about.

OLD EXAMPLES: Jacob Riis

How the Other Half Lives Photo journal of poverty in New York

Upton Sinclair The Jungle

Meat Packing Industry… EW

Ida Tarbell History of Standard Oil

Rockefeller’s business practices

Lincoln Steffens The Shame of Cities

Corruption in local government

Ray Stannard Baker The Right to Work

Coal miners

MODERN EXAMPLES 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hamby

uncovered that Coal Miners were being denied medical rights. The corruption included doctors, lawyers,

and congressmen. Check it out here

YELLOW JOURNALISM

DEFINITION yel·low jour·nal·ism

noun: journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.

Reports with little to no factual support, but speculation and half truths. You are trying to sell papers, make money, or look out for your own interests, not the well being of others.

FAMOUS YELLOW JOURNALISM MOMENTS The Spanish American War

Started as a result of wrongful journalism. William Randolph Hurst and Joseph Pulitzer

owned different newspapers and wanted to increase sales. Hurst reportedly said “you furnish the picture, I’ll furnish the war” to his photographer after the USS Maine accidently sank.Reality: probably a faulty furnaceThey said: the Spanish intentionally sunk it and

killed our sailors. WAR!!!!Check out other examples here

YOUR ASSIGNMENT1. Find a modern example of Muckraking

and Yellow Journalism2. Explain why the piece you found fits into

the category you determine.What makes this piece a muckraking piece or

yellow piece?DUE end of class Wednesday.

3. Post to the discussion board by the end of class Wednesday.