muckraker

[muhk-reyk-er]

noun

1. a person who searches for and tries to expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or other wrongdoing, especially in politics.

   The original muckrakers were the journalists who exposed child labor, sweatshops, poor living and working conditions, and government inefficiency in the early 20th century.

Word History and Origins

Origin of muckraker¹

muckrake ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The socialist muckraker Upton Sinclair saw an opportunity and tried to persuade Garland to underwrite a left-wing national newspaper or a group of writers to change public opinion about capitalism.

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Investigative reporters called “muckrakers” also began publishing exposés of financial power and political corruption in mass-circulation magazines like McClure’s and Collier’s Weekly, setting an agenda for political reform.

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In the early 1900s, journalism, the muckrakers, became highly influential, raising awareness about many social ills, including child labor, unsafe working conditions and unsanitary food processing.

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The late journalist and muckraker’s most famous book has inspired a whole subgenre of stunt memoirs.

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Like the muckrakers of an earlier age, investigative journalists bring to light what the powerful often want to keep in darkness.

Read more on Salon