During the Progressive Era (1890 – 1920) the pen was used to combat social ills and evils and made calls for reform. Progressivism depended upon newspapers and magazines to inform the public about political corruption and social problems. During this period, there was a popular group of Americans known as the Muckrakers. They were the first investigative journalist who sought to expose evils of modern, industrial and urban capitalist society. The muckrakers got their nickname from Theodore Roosevelt, who said that crusading journalists were “often indispensable to... society, but only if they know when to stop raking the muck” (America: A Narrative History, 780).
There were many individuals that made significant efforts to support their fight