Lincoln Steffens

Definition

Lincoln Steffens was an American investigative journalist, known for his work in uncovering political corruption in the United States during the early 20th century. He is famous for his series of articles on corrupt city governments, which were later compiled into a book called "The Shame of the Cities."

Analogy

Think of Lincoln Steffens as a detective like Sherlock Holmes, but instead of solving murder mysteries, he's investigating and exposing the dark underbelly of political corruption.

Related terms

Muckrakers: Journalists who exposed societal issues and corruption in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were similar to modern-day investigative journalists.

Progressive Era: A period from the 1890s to the 1920s that focused on reforming social and political issues in America. This was when Steffens did most of his work.

Yellow Journalism: Sensationalized news reporting that emerged around the same time as muckraking. Unlike muckrakers, yellow journalists often exaggerated or made up stories to sell newspapers.