Since the emergence of print culture, the media has been a way for reformers and activists to convince the masses of their argument. In the late 1800s and early 1900s these people were best known as “muckrakers”, which was “a reference to digging in the dirt to uncover corruption in politics and big business” (22). The most notable of these investigative journalists was Upton Sinclair whose novel The Jungle, which was meant to uncover harsh treatment of immigrant workers but in effect created the Food and Drug Administration.
Today, although print media is still a prominent method of persuasion, documentary films have become a more widespread form of communicating the world’s faults. For example, the name Michal Moore has become synonymous with bashing the government and big business. His films Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine have gained critical acclaim and even been nominated for Academy Awards. If nothing else these films have certainly stirred popular opinion. Documentaries have attacked several issues in today’s culture such as the environment and the effects of fast food.
What the muckrakers and documentary filmmakers have in common is that they use scare tactics and shock factors in order to sway their audience. Upton Sinclair depicted the Chicago meatpacking district in a way that would have disgusted even the least squeamish of people and eventually created government regulation for food manufacturers (which I think we are all pretty grateful for). Similarly, the documentary Super Size Me followed a healthy man who ate nothing but McDonalds for an extended period of time and emphasized its effects on the body. In my middle school health class we were required to watch the film and I can say from personal experience that the film’s arguments definitely deterred me from eating fast food for awhile.
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