Citizen Reporters : S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine That Rewrote America
Author(s): Stephanie Gorton
A fascinating history of the rise and fall of influential Gilded Age magazine McClure’s and the two unlikely outsiders at its helm—as well as a timely, full-throated defense of investigative journalism in America
The president of the United States made headlines around the world when he publicly attacked the press, denouncing reporters who threatened his reputation as “muckrakers” and “forces for evil.” The year was 1906, the president was Theodore Roosevelt—and the publication that provoked his fury was McClure’s magazine.
One of the most influential magazines in American history, McClure’s drew over 400,000 readers and published the groundbreaking stories that defined the Gilded Age, including the investigation of Standard Oil that toppled the Rockefeller monopoly. Driving this revolutionary publication were two improbable newcomers united by single-minded ambition. S. S. McClure was an Irish immigrant, who, despite bouts of mania, overthrew his impoverished upbringing and bent the New York media world to his will. His steadying hand and star reporter was Ida Tarbell, a woman who defied gender expectations and became a notoriously fearless journalist.
The scrappy, bold McClure's group—Tarbell, McClure, and their reporters Ray Stannard Baker and Lincoln Steffens—cemented investigative journalism’s crucial role in democracy. From reporting on labor unrest and lynching, to their exposés of municipal corruption, their reporting brought their readers face to face with a nation mired in dysfunction. They also introduced Americans to the voices of Willa Cather, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Conrad, and many others.
Tracing McClure’s from its meteoric rise to its spectacularly swift and dramatic combustion, Citizen Reporters is a thrillingly told, deeply researched biography of a powerhouse magazine that forever changed American life. It’s also a timely case study that demonstrates the crucial importance of journalists who are unafraid to speak truth to power.
Review(s):
"Smart and illuminating."
“All great editors have an eye for talent. After reading “Citizen Reporters,” I’m convinced that McClure had the greatest eye of all time…. Well crafted and readable…. Nuanced.”
"[Gorton] explores the clash and interplay of talents that created an entity greater than the sum of its parts, absorbed in an endeavor as important now as it was then: molding coherent narratives that help readers—surrounded by a cacophony of daily stories—grasp the changes they are living through."
"Reading Stephanie Gorton’s smart and engaging Citizen Reporters summoned rhythms of a past whose cadence can be felt in the present.... Fascinating.... Gorton provides readers with a rich context for understanding the historical and cultural milieu."
“Gorton’s fresh and vivid biographical history ultimately affirms the essential role an independent press of conscience plays in our democracy.”
“[As] Gorton reveals, McClure’s magazine (1893–1931) was instrumental in paving the way for reporters to battle corruption and drive change in society.… Readers interested in Gilded Age history and its parallels to contemporary society will enjoy learning about this trailblazing publication.”
“Exciting . . . Stephanie Gorton has written more than a beautifully crafted and original narrative history. She reminds us of the courage and passion that fearless magazine journalists must find once again to reveal the true American landscape.”
“Citizen Reporters is a vibrant tale of courage and perseverance. With a thorough and steady hand, Stephanie Gorton guides the reader back in time, telling the origin story of America’s long tradition of bold and incisive journalism. Ida Tarbell and S.S. McClure’s inner lives are interwoven in a story of feminism and American reporting that will have a lasting impact on its readers.”
“In an era newly-conscious of journalism driven by exposing wrongdoing, Citizen Reporters stands as an essential read of America’s long history with reporting on urgent matters of social justice.”
“Citizen Reporters is beautifully written, deeply reported, and worthy of its very worthy subjects. Through the stories of S.S. McClure, his star reporter Ida Tarbell, and the writers associated with McClure’s magazine, Stephanie Gorton gives us a fascinating glimpse of a formative time in American history—and reveals the urgent and necessary role played by investigative journalists.”
ISBN: 9780062796646