Upton Sinclair: Muckraker, Social Activist and More!

Muckrakers, who are they?

            In short, Mukrakers are journalists who uncover the truth behind scandals and expose them to the public. The term first coined by President Theodore Roosevelt initially had a negative connotation but now is seen as a badge of honor to journalists who are referred to as muckrakers. Typically the opposers of muckrakers are the ones who have something to hid and don't want people like investigative journalists looking into their wrongdoings. 

            Muckraking came about during the late 1800s early 1900s and was a way that journalists created massive social reform, bringing to light different issues within society. This time period was known as the Progressive Era of Journalism. 

            Muckrakers not only worked to uncover lies and secrets within the political sphere but also within big corporations called Robber Barons in which companies were running monopolies. A huge story of this time was about the Standard Oil company as shown in the photo. But more than exposing lies or scandals, Mukrakers also provided a platform for issues in many different areas like child labor laws, urban poverty, unsafe working conditions, and so much more.

            A prime example of a muckraker during this time is Upton Sinclair. He's a man of many hats but grew to prominence after the release of his book The Jungle in 1906, which shed light on the meatpacking industry. Sinclair's goal for the book was to raise awareness of the poor working conditions, but instead, people grew concerned about the sanitary quality of their meat. As Sinclair later said after his book became well known, "I aimed at the public's heart, and instead
, by accident, I hit it in the stomach." 

            Due to his book, Sinclair got the attention of President Roosevelt, who launched a formal investigation into the meatpacking industry where he found all the claims made in the book to be true. This eventually lead to the Meat Inspection Act of 1906; alongside that, Sinclair is also the reason for the Food and Drug Administration being formed and is why we have so many regulations. It is ironic that his actions greatly impacted the American Publics Safety and well-being for generations to come, even when it was at first by accident. 

            Sinclair was one of many investigative journalists turned muckraker and even social reformer that used writing as a way to spark social change. This kind of work in journalism is always inspiring and something the world could use a little more of today. 

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/gilded-age-progressive-era-reforms

https://fee.org/articles/witch-hunting-for-robber-barons-the-standard-oil-story/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIJNjOzowuE&t=246s