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Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis had taught himself basic photography and started taking a camera with him when he would hit the streets at night. The images he brought to the public’s eye were full of crowded tenements, dangerous slums and poignant street scene. His photos appeared in books, newspapers and magazines, and before long they were used as tools for social reform. -
Ida Tarbell
Tarbell had become concerned by the proliferation of monopolies and trusts. In 1900, she proposed a series of articles taht she used her experiences as a child during the South Improvement scandal to illustrate her points and research on the Standard Oil Company and John D. Tarbell’s study gave rise to a new style of investigative journalism sometimes referred to as muckraking and was instrumental in the 1911 dismantling of the Standard Oil Company behemoth. -
Lincoln Steffens
Steffen's series, published as The Shame of the Cities in 1940, which became a best seller. Its popularity was well deserved, for Steffens's work stood far above most of the other muckraking exposés of municipal corruption in terms of both literary style and intellectual perception. Steffen He wanted to expose the pattern of corruption and the real villains, the supposedly respectable, honest businessmen whose bribes and greed fueled the whole system. -
Upton Sinclair
Sinclair made the decision to become a serious novelist while working as a freelance journalist to make ends meet. "The Jungle" would be Sinclair’s political convictions that would lead to his first literary success and the one for which he is most known.The Jungle became a massive best seller, and was translated into 17 languages within months of its release. President Theodore Roosevelt invited Sinclair to the White House and ordered an inspection of the meatpacking industry.
