I write the truth because I love it and because there is no living creature whose anger I fear or whose praise I court. -Nellie Bly
Both Nellie Bly and Nell Nelson were incredibly influential in the development of women in the editorial and investigative journalism spaces. They pioneered the style of undercover reporting that would be used by numerous other stunt girls, but also set the standard for personal, almost-informal prose that would be emulated by all those who came after.
Peko and Sweeney reference an article from the period which finds the number of women working on the editorial end of newsrooms prior to Bly’s first stunt as less than 500. By 1888, there were 200 women working at newspapers in New York alone.
That growth has been credited mainly to the work of Nellie Bly, whose work was collected and published in book form (an opportunity also afforded to Nelson’s “City Slave Girls” series), making her a household name across the entire country. Not only was her work enjoyable to read, it increased sales of the World, inspiring other newspaper publishers to hire their own stunt girls in an effort to recreate the public response.
W.R. Hearst’s Examiner would find their answer to Bly and Nelson in Winifred Sweet, a failed actress whose public image was more sweet young debutante than plucky reporter. She is perhaps most well-known for repeating a stunt her sister (Ada Sweet, of the Chicago Tribune) pioneered, where she would faint in the street to highlight the need for a municipal ambulance service.
Bly would go on to top her original Blackwell’s stunt by circling the globe in an attempt to best the fictional Phileas Fogg. This event is remembered as her crowning achievement (and she did beat Fogg’s time and her own goal of 75 days, instead finishing in 72) though it generated more articles from observers than from the woman at the center of the stunt.
While Nelson languished in relative obscurity and has been relegated to the role of Bly’s sidekick in modern coverage, Bly herself became almost apologetic for her notoriety. Despite the groundbreaking nature of her work, many would describe her tone as self-deprecating, and she often highlighted the “distasteful” nature of the stunts she pulled.
It is in these responses that the delicate balancing act all women perform is revealed. If one is to be notable, they must be humble, hating all that makes them remarkable. If one is content to be forgotten, they are able to stand behind their work fully. Nelson and Bly are almost equally influential in their contributions to the phenomenon of stunt reporting, though only one is remembered for it.
Sources
LIGUORI, ERIC W. “Nell Nelson and The Chicago Times ‘City Slave Girls’ Series.” Journal of Management History. 18, no. 1 (2012): 61–81.
PEKO, SAMANTHA, and MICHAEL S. SWEENEY. 2017. “Nell Nelson’s Undercover Reporting.” American Journalism 34 (4): 448–69.
HEATH, BEN, ELIZABETH FAUE, and BROOKE KROEGER. 2023. Like a Comet Streaking across the Sky: The Investigative Journalism of Eva Valesh. KFAI Twin Cities.
TODD, KIM. 2023. Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s Girl Stunt Reporters. Harper Perennial.
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