Herald: WBZ fires Jonic after FBI story flap

[Donna Halper]

>Larry wrote--
>Come on, that term goes back way before Jerry Williams.  I'm sure somebody 
>here can tell us some of the history of muckraking journalism.

It goes back to around the turn of the century (as in, late 1890s, early 
1900s) and referred to a group of journalists who investigated the excesses 
of major corporations. (And believe me, when you look at what they 
investigated, some of the stuff they uncovered was appalling no matter what 
your personal politics might be.)  Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffins and others 
wrote articles that totally changed the culture and led to major and very 
important consumer protections.  A simple search for "muckrakers" ought to 
turn up their history, but they were some of the most respected 
investigative journalists of their time.