A pioneer in investigative journalism

A journalist, a business boffin, a revolutionary, a crazy lady, a woman...these are only a few phrases used to describe the woman that ultimately became Nelly Bly: a pioneer in investigative journalism. Good afternoon Ladies and gentleman today we will be looking at the life of this miraculous woman and her quest for recognition in a man’s world.
In this speech I would firstly like to tell you about Bly’s break into the journalism industry. I will follow this by telling you about the highlight of her career which left a mark on the history of journalism forever. Lastly, I will look at some of the other exploits Bly took on which make her an admirable all-rounder. By the end of this speech; you will agree with me that Nelly Bly is a pioneer in investigative journalism.
“For men, participatory journalism was a choice, for women it was one of the few ways to break out of the women’s pages.” This is according to Lutes, the author of “front-page girls”. Throughout history, women have been fighting against stereotypes and campaigning for equal treatment and recognition. The role of women in journalism in the 1850s was to write about what women “knew” with topics varying from changing fashion to society news and domestic issues.
Elizabeth Jane Cochran first came into journalism by replying to a sexist article in the local newspaper. The editor was so impressed with her response that he offered her a job, and hence, Nelly Bly was born as most women of the time wrote under a pen name.
Right from the beginning Bly focused her attention on women’s rights issues. She pretended to be a poor woman working in a sweat shop with the aim of exposing the terrible conditions under which women had to work. This was met with threats from shop owners to withdraw their advertising from the Dispatch and Bly was asked to write about less offensive issues such as fashion. This did not seem to appeal to Bly as she responded to the request by leaving for Mexico for six months. Her work here once again led to controversy, however, and her articles on poverty and political corruption got her kicked out of the country.
“I was hungry, but the food would not down. I asked for unbuttered bread and was given it. I cannot tell you of anything which is the same dirty, black colour. It was hard and in places nothing more than dried dough. I found a spider in my slice.” This quote comes from Nelly Bly’s book “Ten days in a madhouse,” which brings me to the highlight of her career, which left a mark on the history of journalism forever.
On 22 September 1887 it was requested that she should have herself taken up in an asylum for the mentally ill where she would be required to write a story on the treatment of the patients in that particular institution . She spent ten days in the asylum undergoing treatment which she stated in her book would be able to make any sane women go crazy within two months. Her troubles were not in vain, however. As a direct result of her exposé of the atrocious treatment of patients in the institution, the City of New York appropriated $1,000,000 per annum more than before to the care of the mentally ill. This story marked the beginning of a new era in journalism and the book, “Nelly Bly: The best reporter in America” called her the “inventor of investigative journalism.”