Journalism | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/journalism/RSS feed for JournalismenThu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000When a Journalist Took on Corruption, He Used a Tool That Hadn’t Been Used Much in American History: the Unvarnished Truthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-journalist-took-corruption-used-tool-that-hadnt-been-used-much-american-history-unvarnished-truth-180988855/Lincoln Steffens was a reporter so dogged that political party bosses called him a “born crook that’s gone straight.” He and his fellow muckrakers redefined modern journalismThu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-journalist-took-corruption-used-tool-that-hadnt-been-used-much-american-history-unvarnished-truth-180988855/