Which term describes journalists who exposed corruption and social problems in government and industry?

• A. Public Relations
• B. Spin
• C. Investigative Journalism
• D. Muckraking

Answer: (D)

Muckraking describes journalists who exposed corruption and social problems in government and industry during the Progressive Era. They aimed to spark reform by publishing deep investigations into monopolies, political machines, child labor, unsafe conditions, and urban poverty. The term became associated with reform-minded reporting from magazines like McClure’s and with famous works by Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Jacob Riis. While investigative journalism is a broader modern idea of digging into wrongdoing, muckraking is the historical label for this specific era of exposés that pushed for change. Public relations and spin, by contrast, involve shaping how information is presented rather than exposing abuses.