Ida Tarbell: Review EOTO

Born in 1857, Ida Tarbell was born into a wealthy family, similar to my EOTO William Randolph Hearst, another similarity they share is an early interest in journalism.  She took a job with The Chautauquan, a Methodist magazine right after graduating from Allegheny College in 1880.

Unlike others from her time Ida shunned the thought of marriage saying "It would interfere with my plan; it would fetter my freedom."

Ida is arguably one of the first investigative journalist. Using her position at the magazine to expose wrong doing.

Her first piece for The Chatauquan was an investigative expose on the gross gender disparities in the United State Patent Office. In the piece she exposed the fact that out of the 22,000 patents issued that year only 90 were granted to women. 

She also went on to write a 19- page piece on the Standard Oil Company, aiming to expose them for their treatment towards their employees. Something she witnessed first hand due to her father being a previous partner/ employee of the company.

Tarbell was also a well known member of Muckrakers, largely due to her piece of the Standard Oil Company. The Muckrakers were a group of investigative journalists that wanted to expose the people who were doing wrong. 

Ida was also known to be in this group for her works on exposing lynching and racist mobs in the South. 

Overall I think Ida Tarbell should always be remembered as a strong female journalist that never backed down even when the things she was exposing came with the potential of great consequences.