Muckraker Project

9/27/2017

Muckraker Magazine Example

Your Role: Journalist

You are a journalist. You have been asked to investigate problems in the following areas: working conditions, child labor, urban living conditions, political corruption, conservation, and power of monopolies.

Steps 1

a. Participate in fact gathering about the many issues brought about by industrialization.

b. Choose from the following topics: child labor, working conditions, conservation, political corruption, and urban living conditions.

c. Write an article that “digs up the dirt” and exposes the bad things related to the topic you choose. Find

a picture from the era that relates to your article. Be sure to cite your sources for your article.

d. For your second article, write a fact based article on one of the items listed below that relate to the topic. Be sure to cite the sources you used to gather this information. You must have a picture from the era for this article too.

Working Conditions

Samuel Gompers, American Federation of Labor, Homestead Strike, Upton Sinclair, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Child Labor

Lewis Hines

Urban Living Conditions

Jacob Riis or Jane Addams -Hull House

Political Corruption

Robert Lafollette, 17th Amendment, Lincoln Steffens, Boss Tweed, Political Machines (Tammany Hall),

Conservation

Teddy Roosevelt, 1906, National Parks System

Step 2

Each cartoon must show the problem and who was being hurt by it. It may or may not include the solution. In addition, your cartoon should be analyzed by answering the following questions:
a. what is the issue?

b. what are the symbols? the Labels? what does the caption say (if any)? the caricature (who are the characters)?

c. what is the opinion of the author?

Step 3

After completion of your two articles, design a magazine cover for your muckraking magazine. This cover should include a title, a period photograph, and two lead-ins that highlight the two articles that you have written for the magazine.

Include a date and a price accurate to the Progressive Era on the magazine cover.

Assemble the magazine to include the cover, the two articles, two political cartoons, photographs and a page listing citations for your research.

Canva Web Publishing

Project Check List

1. Have I included a title of the magazine?
2. Have I included a date and a price for the magazine?
3. Have I included a cover picture from the era?
4. Have I referenced my two articles with lead-ins on the magazine cover?
5. Have I written a 2-3 paragraph article with an illustration that exposes the problem?
7. Have I written a 2-3 paragraph fact based article with an illustration on one of the items for my topic?
8. Have I included and analyzed two political cartoons?
7. Have I cited the websites where I located my pictures and information?
8. Have I made my work neat and creative? Would my magazine appeal to readers?