“For the world’s democratic stronghold had been ‘let go’, turned into a nation of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation.” Chaper 6 in Mightier than the Sword is about the effects journalists had throughout American history; they fought and investigated to expose the truth. Journalists exposed that the country was more involved with expanding corporations then they were to help individuals succeed in the business world. Although President Theodore Roosevelt supported journalism, he became annoyed that they only looked to expose the bad things in society. He eventually became feed up and said that they were “raking muck”, thus giving birth to the nickname “muckraking” that journalists eventually became associated with. Lincoln Steffens is seen as one of the first “muckrakers”. In the early 1900’s he investigated city officials around America and exposed that their systems were based more on bribery and corruption than they were on justice. A Journalists named Ida Tarbell investigate Standard Oil which was a corporation that supplied oil to 90% of households in the early 1900’s. Ida Tarbell exposed that the company reached its success because of John D. Rockefeller’s merciless tactics towards the competition. Ida Tarbell exposed how big corporation such as Standard Oil took advantage of its customers and of society. Ida’s articles caused government to quickly take action and outlaw the tactics practiced by companies like the Standard Oil Company. Journalists like Ida Tarbell dedicated their lives to exposing the truth and helping to better society.
Another extremely important issue that attracted journalists was the horrendous quality of the food and medicines that America consumed. Journalists found that many new preservatives were being added in food such as borax and benzoate. On top of that, medicine was claimed to cure all these health problems and instead at it did was make society sicker. A journalists named Upton Sinclair was paid to write a series of articles exposing the conditions he noticed among a Chicago society. He exposed that the workers sometimes fell into the vats were meat was processed, meaning that they were shredded and grounded into the food that Americans would eat. After reading his articles President Roosevelt sent agents to confirm if what the articles said were true, and they were. Editor Edward Bok wanted people to boycott medicines because he believed they were detrimental to a person’s overall health. Many magazines refused to publish ads for medicines even though it meant that they would lose lots of money, they were willing to make that sacrifice. Another major topic journalists investigated was treason in the American government. Randolph Hearst employed David Graham Phillips to expose treason in the government. They exposed that senators receive $50,000 a year from corporations in exchange for political favors. Although the government wasn’t thrilled with the information the journalists portrayed, the public was ecstatic to receive all that information. Society praised journalists for the job they did.
I chose this chapter because it interested me. The idea that journalists were so bold and dedicated their lives towards exposing the truth intrigued me. It’s nice to know that in history there were people so dedicated to finding the truth that they made it their job. Although there are still people in today’s society that work towards exposing the truth there aren’t nearly as many as there once was. Also, much of the truth exposed today seems tainted. Medicine commercials still exists and they convey more negative side effects than the danger of living with the sickness they help to cure. I chose this chapter because I wanted to read about a time in history when people risked their reputations and sometimes even their lives to expose the truth and to better society.
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