Muck Raking

According to dictionary.com, muck rake is a verb defined as “to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics.” This means that in order to be a muck raker, one must investigate real and alleged wrong-doing and report on it. As we’ve established in class, muck raking laid the foundation for investigative journalism which tremendously helped the field of reporting simply because it changed the focus of the news. Now, instead of reporting the fact that there is a rumor circulating about some prominent figure, the reporter would investigate the rumor and report the truth behind the stories. This is the process of muck raking, digging to find the truth of the story. Is it taken too far sometimes? Sure, but I feel like the benefits certainly outweigh the costs. The public has a right to know what kind of people they uphold as prominent figures in society, they also have the right to know information about sensitive topics such as race relations in America. Remember the Jena 6 situation? The American people would have never known about this had it not been for the work founded by the muck rakers. Reporters went to Louisiana and dug to find the information the public needed to know. Because of their admirable and ethical work, people were able to organize and travel to the small town of Jena Louisiana and protest to enact the change that they wanted to see. America has no space for racists and bigotry and these white students needed to be punished. Had it not been for the work of muck rakers, or rather the direct descendants of muck rakers, America may have never known about this story and the small town of Jena, Louisiana would have been undisturbed.