Margaret Bourke-White
Margaret Bourke-White was one of the most influential photojournalists of her time; she was both the female photographer for Fortune Magazine and the first female photojournalist at Life Magazine. She played a major role in documenting the events of World War II, recording acts of Anti-Semitism from Hungary, documenting the bombing of Moscow, and even taking photos on the front lines in Italy as the first female correspondent accredited by the US military. Some of her most famous photos are those of American landmarks; Bourke-White even climbed on top of the Chrysler Building to get the perfect shot.
Nellie bly
Born Elizabeth Cochran Seaman but better known by her pen name, Nellie Bly was a pioneer in the field not just for women, but for all investigative journalists alike. Bly worked under Joseph Pulitzer (yes, the Joseph Pulitzer) at the New York World where she published two of the most famous journalistic pieces of all time. The first was a documentation of her travels circumnavigating the world in just 72 days. These chronicles inspired the Jules Verne novel, Around The World In 80 Days. Another famous piece produced by Bly was a report she had done while going under cover as a patient at an insane asylum. Not only did this piece expose the inhumane conditions of mental institutions and lead to serious reforms, but the piece also inspired a whole new wave of investigative journalism.
ida b. wells
The journalistic works of Ida B. Wells served as vital facilitators of the black civil rights movement. Wells was born into slavery during the American Civil war. Wells was known for her bold, outspokenness; getting kicked out of HBCU Rusts College for a confrontation she had with the school’s president and suing a train company for kicking her off of first class when she had bought a ticket. Following the lynching of one of her friends, Wells began advocating against the lynching and violence against African Americans. Skeptical of the causes or reasonings behind lynching, Wells investigated several cases. She went on to publish her findings in a book entitled A Red Record. In addition to her journalistic work, Wells was a cofounder of the NAACP. In 2020, Wells was given a Pulitzer Prize in recognition for her brave reporting on the violent crimes against colored people in the era of lynching.
Katherine graham
One of my favorite nepo-babies, Katherine Graham was a publisher who took over her family’s paper, The Washington Post, from 1963 until 1991, a decade before her death. When Graham’s father died, he left the paper to her husband instead of her, as no woman had ever been a publisher of an American newspaper at that point. When Graham’s husband passed away, Graham proved her father wrong by transforming the Post from a small local paper to one of the most influential papers in the US. Two of the hottest scoops that were published under Graham were the Pentagon Papers- leaked classified documentation detailing the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War, and the Watergate Scandal- a major political scandal involving the Nixon administration that eventually led to his resignation. By publishing these pieces, Graham took a risk defying the US government, a risk that made her one of the most influential publishers to date.
ethyl L. payne
Known as the “First Lady of the Black Press”, Ethyl L. Payne was a fearless journalist and activist during the black civil rights movement. During the Korean War, Payne worked for the Army Special Services in Japan where she wrote about the unfair treatment of African American, these diary entries are what landed her a full time position at the Chicago Defender. At the Defender, Payne covered the milestones within the civil rights movement in her stories, including the Brown vs. Board of Education trial, Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, advocating for the release of Nelson Mandela, and even interviewing Martin Luther King. Ethyl L. Payne was a straightforward, no-nonsense kind of journalist who asked the tough questions, but unfortunately, much of her work went unknown by the majority audience due to her status as a black woman.
Ida Tarbell
You have probably heard of John D. Rockefeller and his oil empire but is (quite unfortunately) less likely that you have heard of Ida Tarbell, arguably Rockefeller’s greatest rival. Tarbell was not a businesswoman running a competing empire but rather a muckraker, a journalist during the Progressive era whose works were centered around social justice reforms. Tarbell’s legacy consists of “The History of The Standard Oil Company”, an exposé surround Rockefeller’s monopoly and the unethical business practices that contributed to its success. In response to the story, the US Supreme court forced Rockefeller to divide his mega cooperation into 30+ smaller, independent companies. The work of Ida Tarbell proved that journalism doesn’t always just report on history, but it can become a part of history and change it for the better.
barbra walters
Barbra Walters was a pioneer for women in the field of broadcast journalism. As the daughter of a nightclub chain owner, Walters was surrounded by celebrities from a young age, which likely contributed to her signature casual but to-the-point interviewing approach. Walters started at the Today Show as a writer, however, after a breakthrough assignment with First-Lady Jackie Kennedy, Walters was given more responsibilities and became the first woman in the show’s history to be given the title of co-host. Of course, she didn’t stop there. Walters went on to interview every single US President (and first lady!) from Nixon to Trump. In addition, she landed a role on ABC’s 20/20, making her the first female evening co-host in US journalism history. She is also credited with the creation of the program, “The View”, a talk show hosted by a panel of all women which remains popular today. As of the year 2000, Walters was reportedly the highest paid news host to date, not only surpassing other women in journalism but the men too!