muckraking
muckraking Lexical Profile
muckraking Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The action or practice of searching out and publicly exposing real or apparent misconduct, corruption, or scandal, especially of prominent individuals or institutions.
"Early twentieth-century muckraking led to major federal regulations in the meatpacking and pharmaceutical industries."
• adjective
Characterized by or engaged in the public exposure of scandal, corruption, or misconduct, especially through investigative journalism.
"The veteran reporter built her reputation on a series of muckraking articles about municipal graft."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American history, 'muckraking' refers neutrally or positively to early 20th-century reformist investigative journalism, whereas in modern everyday usage it often carries a pejorative connotation of sensationalist scandal-hunting.
Word Origin & Etymology
Popularized in 1906 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who alluded to the 'Man with the Muck-rake' in John Bunyan's 1684 allegory 'The Pilgrim's Progress'—a character so fixated on raking filth on the ground that he ignored a celestial crown above.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.