Diana Kelter
2-25-09
Muckraking: The good and the bad
Democracy rests on the belief that elected officials are held accountable by the American people. However, since most of their actions and decisions are made behind closed doors, we rely on journalists and the press to bring our attention to actions that our out of step with democratic principles. This concept is known as muckraking, and has presented a very controversial issue within the journalistic profession. In chapter six, of Doris Graber’s book Mass Media and American Politics the different forms of muckraking are discussed and the implications it has on our political system. We are told and know from the effects that overeating brings implications for our health, therefore when muckrakers begin to overeat it can lead to implications for the health of our political system.
The media has always relied on the belief that their work serves the public interest. Certain articles can arouse public opinion, or even correct an issue without much effort from the public or government. However, more often then not the public has short lived attitudes on a topic. Therefore, as Graber discusses journalists can often muddy the reputation of political figures to a greater degree then is needed for public knowledge. We have all heard the saying would you jump off a bridge just because your friend does. Most of us know the ethical and correct answer is no. Therefore, Graber quotes the argument “that if other news channels exploit a story, they must feature it as well, is hardly the epitome of ethical behavior.” There is a line that must be drawn between stories that serve a public interest and those that seek to just provide a juicy story. There are clearly some benefits that come from muckraking, which makes dealing with the controversy associated with it very difficult. However, one thing for sure is that muckraking has been around since the 1800s and it will not be absent from our political system anytime soon.
Muckraking: The good and the bad
February 25, 2009 by iowajournalism
The summary is good, but can provide a little bit more specific information about the content of the chapter.