Muckrakers and the Media

Grade: 10th Grade
Topics: Media’s Influence on Reform
Social Justice Skills: Journalism, Reform, Expose, Corruption, Social Issues
Created by: Marina Regolizio

In this three lesson unit, “Muckrakers and the Media,” students will understand how people use media to affect social reform. Students will learn about how muckrakers addressed certain Progressive Era social issues such as the living conditions of the “slums,” unsanitary and unsafe working conditions of factories, racial injustice of African Americans, and corruption of businesses. The students will learn how the Muckrakers identified and exposed social issues and this impact on Progressive Era reform. Learners will make connections to current media’s influence on civic participation and deliberation. By the end of the unit, students will become muckrakers themselves, identifying and exposing a social issue that is important to them through their own social media posts. Students will have the opportunity to participate in an extension project in which they present their social media post to a stakeholder in the community.

View the PDF: Marina Regolizio – Unit Plan