Muckrakers

Hold the presses for the sensational story of investigative journalism in America. At the turn of the 20th century, news reporters and monthly magazines collaborated to create a new kind of journalism—in-depth, serialized exposés of corporate, labor, and political corruption. Many of these stories became instant bestsellers such as The Jungle, Upton Sinclair's classic account of corruption in the meat-packing industry.

Ann Bausum's dramatic narrative follows a generation of dedicated journalists who forced responsible changes in industry and politics. Muckrakers is the inside story of public-spirited journalism from the early days to latter-day practitioners like Woodward and Bernstein and today's Internet bloggers.