This series attempts to explain the context of female stunt reporters, especially Nellie Bly and Nell Nelson, in the early 1900s and how their work influenced New Journalism of the 1960s.
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The exacting eye of Mr. Pulitzer
The New York World was not a publication many thought would survive the early days of the 1880s. By 1883, the struggling paper was floundering, left to die by its financier owner, Jay Gould. That is, until an Austrian immigrant by the name of Joseph Pulitzer bought it.
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The people’s Pinkertons
By emphasizing a boots on the ground style of reporting that favored writers willing to chase down leads, Pulitzer, perhaps inadvertently, found himself in a newsroom full of detectives.
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From sensationalism to stunts
Despite his near-unmatched impact on the journalism of today, if one were to ask someone what Joseph Pulitzer did, they would either gesture vaguely to the prize that bears his name or mention something about yellow journalism and the Spanish-American War.
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A dispatch from E. Cochrane
Perhaps the most notable of the late 19th century stunt girls was Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Cochran in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, in 1864. This young woman was described in these early days as timid, though she earned her job with the Pittsburgh Dispatch by writing in to complain about a columnist’s view of women.
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Nellie goes native
Blackwell’s Island was not a kind place. This was not common knowledge in New York in 1887, or if it was, no one paid the thought more than passing notice, as the only people condemned there were the insane or hysterical.
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Meanwhile, in the Midwest
Once Nellie Bly opened the door for women in sensational investigative reporting, the practice spread to smaller regional newspapers across the entire country.
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Nell takes New York
Once Nell Nelson made it to New York, she began writing for the World, with much of her work appearing in the evening edition of the publication. Like her work in Chicago, Nelson focused heavily on the plight of underpaid white women working in factories, though she began to include children in the scope of her reporting as well.
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Nell and Nellie set the stage
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.
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In lieu of suffrage
Although stunts were a reliable way for women to find their way into newsrooms, they also served a greater political purpose in the period. Prior to 1919, American women were unable to vote, meaning that politicians felt no need to take their concerns into account when forming policy.
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Going, going, Gonzo
Even though undercover exposés fell out of favor in the early 1890s, sensationalist stunt reporting continued apace until about 1900, when the practice was abandoned in favor of yellow, then objective journalism.
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