This term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, referring to a character in John Bunyan's *Pilgrim's Progress* who is obsessed with raking up filth. While Roosevelt intended it as a criticism, the term quickly became a badge of honor for these journalists.
Some of the most famous muckrakers included:
* Upton Sinclair: Author of *The Jungle*, which exposed the horrors of the meatpacking industry.
* Ida Tarbell: Wrote a scathing exposé of Standard Oil, detailing its monopolistic practices.
* Lincoln Steffens: Wrote "The Shame of the Cities," which documented corruption in urban governments.
* Jacob Riis: A photographer who documented the squalor of New York City's slums in his book *How the Other Half Lives*.
These journalists played a significant role in raising public awareness of social problems and pushing for reforms in the Progressive Era.