In May 2015, The New York Times released an investigation of abhorrent working conditions
in nail salons.
This led to the Governor of New York taking quick steps to root out and shut down offending
salons.
Sometimes, journalism doesn’t just report on an issue, but changes the issue itself.
With the rise of blogging, clickbait, and low-effort journalism, it might be worthwhile
to look at some reporters who changed the course of history.
Probably the most famous instance was the Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate
scandal by reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the early 1970s.
Following an otherwise inconsequential office break-in, it was discovered that President
Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign had wiretapped the offices of the Democratic National
Convention.
Woodward and Bernstein used an anonymous source in the FBI, nicknamed Deep Throat, to report
on the subsequent cover-up by the president and his staff.
Their articles eventually lead to Nixon’s disgrace and resignation, as well as a large
jump in applications to journalism schools.
Another important journalist of that era was Seymour Hersh.
In 1969, he exposed a massacre of civilians by American soldiers during the Vietnam War,
as well as its cover-up.
His work led to a significant shift in public perceptions about the war around the world,
and heavily contributed to the US Peace movement.
His later works on the mistreatment of Abu Ghraib prisoners, and an alternate account
of the way Osama bin Laden was killed, have also garnered substantial attention.
In the 80s, reporter Randy Shilts began writing about the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco.
The gravity of his work shifted HIV and AIDS from a little known and misunderstood disease,
into a relevant, and important public issue.
His articles have been considered to be some of the top works of journalism in the US.
Most recently, the work of Glenn Greenwald via Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s global
surveillance programs.
These revelations have led to a large negative shift in both the public perception of the
US government, as well as international politics.
Leaders like Angela Merkel of Germany have allegedly had their personal phones wiretapped,
and provoked subsequent investigations into the scope of the surveillance.
Today, widespread internet access means that issues can be more readily influenced by the
media surrounding them.
Recent stories about teachers cheating on standardized tests, Apple’s unsatisfactory
work conditions, and Wal-Mart’s illegal spread through Mexico have all lead to policy
changes and government investigations.
Without brave journalists and newspapers willing to publish them, controversial and impactful
stories would otherwise be lost.
Many countries around the world have stamped out press freedom, and have incredibly restrictive
censorship laws.
Check out our video here to see a breakdown of who they are.
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