Summary Of Stories That Changed America By Carl Jensen

The job of a journalist is to be a watchdog to power. Coupled with the rise of Yellow Journalism, media monopolization by industrial interests ensued in the 20th century. To combat the perpetual propaganda of the mass media and yellow journalists, journalists began to buck status quo and expose the real wrong-doings in our society: business and governmental corruption. In the book, Stories That Changed America: Muckrakers of the 20th Century, Dr. Carl Jensen examines how individual journalists brought forth change in the United States by writing about what others would not dare to write about. While many times people in power demonized and slandered these valiant journalists, positive political and social change came from the investigative

In each case, Jensen successfully proves how an individual can affect change. For example, Jensen explains how the early 20th century muckraker, Upton Sinclair, strove to affect change in the meat industry. Whilst working undercover in the stockyards of Chicago, Sinclair saw the horrible conditions of work. While the meat industry might not have wanted Sinclair to write about his experience, he decided to expose malpractice in his novel The Jungle. Although he was rejected by numerous publishers, Sinclair eventually published The Jungle. Inevitably, President Theodore Roosevelt asked Sinclair to discuss his discoveries at the White House. In the end, Sinclair’s work led to the passing of the “nation’s Pure Food and Drug Act.” In this case, Jensen showed how successful a single investigative journalist could be. Sometimes, it takes something

Jensen exemplifies his thesis, by bringing up the My Lai Massacre. As an Army Veteran, Hersh had connections other journalists at the time did not have. After hearing about an attack on civilians in a Vietnam Village, Hersh made a couple calls and discovered the horrendous details. Without holding back, Hersh went into gruesome detail about the slaughter of civilians in Vietnam by American servicemen. As a result, public support for the war continued to fall. In the case of Hersh, and many muckrakers, he had a difficult time getting his work approved by the gatekeepers of media. This is extremely dangerous to democracy. Seymour Hersh uncovered a war crime in Vietnam with the help of an Army Officer and media outlets just thought he was lying. Without Hersh, the public would not have known the kind of activities their tax dollars went to in Vietnam. The story of Seymour Hersh and the My Lai massacre shows that a free press is crucial to keep those in power in check. Without investigative reporting and a free press, the general public is left in the dark, only to be told certain things media outlets wish to talk