Which term describes journalists who sought to uncover corruption or wrongdoing in industries and expose it to the public?

• A. Muckrakers
• B. Investigative reporters
• C. Yellow journalists
• D. Whistleblowers

Answer: (A)

Journalists who sought to uncover corruption or wrongdoing in industries and expose it to the public are called muckrakers. In the Progressive Era, these reform-minded writers dug into abuses in big business and government and published their findings to spur public outrage and reforms. They worked to reveal how monopolies, unsafe practices, or political corruption harmed everyday people, often through magazines and books. Writers like Ida Tarbell, who investigated Standard Oil; Upton Sinclair, who exposed the meatpacking industry in The Jungle; and Lincoln Steffens, who explored city political corruption, became emblematic of this approach. The term, popularized by Theodore Roosevelt, emphasizes a concerted effort to “clean up” society by bringing hidden wrongs into the light. While investigative reporters is a broader modern label for similar work, muckrakers specifically capture the reform-minded, public-exposure mission of that era. Yellow journalism describes sensationalized reporting, not focused on reform, and whistleblowers are insiders who reveal wrongdoing from within an organization rather than journalists who investigate for the public.