Muckraking, from its beginning in the Progressive era, up until now has been a way of ‘beast-slaying, exposing the dirty underbelly of the gargantuan corporate and political monsters that have plagued our country. Muckraking presents their secrets to the general public. It has, more often than not, been the catalyst for great change in legislation. And the battle hasn’t necessarily always been publishing investigative articles in newspapers. Photographs, fictional covers for extremely truthful situations, television, and social media have all been used as tools to publish findings. This powerful tradition continues today. These unconventional ‘weapons’ are extremely compelling and effective in spreading the knowledge of issues, thereby putting more power into influencing changes in both private and government policies.
A major problem in the United States during the early 20th Century was the issue of Child Labor. Children were being put to work instead of being educated. …show more content…
The show has gotten excellent reviews, collecting many Emmy nominations and a Peabody award. And it’s brought to light many problems of today’s women in prisons: unfair use of solitary confinement, racial bias, homophobia, the blatant sexism between male guards and the female prisoners, etc (Kohan). While the show may be fictional in some aspects of the characters and situation, the conditions are real, and the book is true. Like muckraker Upton Sinclair, Piper Kerman wrote her memoir to pull back the disgusting curtain on the condition of women prisoners, and it’s worked (Kerman). Orange is the New Black is an excellent example of an unconventional source of muckraking. It brings to light issues of the reality, while capturing the attention of audiences with its exceptional acting and