There are many people that contributed to history and changed our world today. These contributions in history include those from journalists. One of many journalists is Nellie Bly, who shaped the journalism industry as we know it. Journalists contribute to history by their written news articles that display to others what life was like otherwise known as journalism.
Nellie Bly exposed introduced new forms of journalism through motivation, preparation, and accomplishments. Motivation
Nellie Bly expanded journalism through her beliefs, values, and philosophy. One of the ways she was able to expand journalism was with her philosophy. The Christian Science Monitor agrees when they write, “An expose that involved Bly posing as a mental …show more content…
For example, Bly risked her life by taking on a different reporting job for another company. “Nellie started working for the Pittsburgh Dispatch and recorded the conditions of the slums and working girls in factories” (Miller, 2001). By exposing these companies and areas, she was able to bring awareness of these problems to the public eye.
This exposure put these horrible conditions to a halt. Nellie Bly risked her life all for showing making sure lives would be saved.
Accomplishments
Nellie Bly paved way for her historical recognition through her accomplishments.
Because of her writings, Bly helped form the world of journalism. Contemporary Authors Online states, “ Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, writing under the pen name Nellie Bly, set the standard for investigative reporting in the era of "yellow journalism” (Miller, 2001). In other words,
NELLIE BLY 5
Contemporary Authors Online is saying that Nellie Bly surpassed standards for journalism back in that era. She was able to report the conditions of workers, slaves, and slums after exposing herself to them first hand which no one had ever thought of before. Secondly, Bly thought to take on the role of writing about prison conditions, especially the treatment towards …show more content…
NELLIE BLY 6
Nellie was considered a world traveler which counted as one of her most famous accomplishments and contributions to history. In The Encyclopedia of World Biography view,
“Bly distinguished herself as a reporter at a time when the field was dominated by men, and her accomplishments won a greater measure of acceptance for other women journalists” ("Elizabeth
Cochrane Seaman," 1998). The Encyclopedia is saying that through some of her most greatest moments Nellie was able to prove herself to the community of journalists around. There is no greater accomplishment than getting acceptance from other people as well as gaining a new understanding to a group of people. The Contemporary Authors Online agree when they write,
“But Bly's contribution to American letters and to social activism were far more profound than these stunts might indicate” (Miller, 2001). Their point in saying this is that Nellie Bly was able to get the word out after doing insane things to get a story and people did something to help. Bly was never begging for common people’s attention; they were always listening to what she had