Research On The Social Responsibility Of The Media In The View Of The "Muckraking Movement" In America

At the end of nineteenth Century, the United States was in a period of transition from an agricultural society to an industrial society, on the one hand, the economic rose and the material wealth increase geometrically, the United States ushered in the "gilded age". But on the other hand, due to the lag of policy management and the excessive deviation of profit distribution, a cluster of social ills happened and resulted in quite complex and sharp contradictions. It was absolute a looming problem for the United States at that time to find out how to lead the huge material strength to serve the human society healthy development and how to make economic prosperity benefit the promotion of the social comprehensive improvement and the development of human social health.Public opinion is the forerunner of the reform movement, confronting with the difficulties, American journalists worked with the "muck rake" and took the social responsibility of the media by launching the "Muckraking Movement" and actively integrated into the history waves of the progressive movement, they behaved as lookout men to guide progressive tide to swept all sorts of social problems and cleanse the sin and the darkness. The thesis place the "Muckraking Movement" in the historical background of social transition to investigate the interaction between the movement and the political economy and social culture of the United States at that time and take notice of the generation and evolution of the movement at the same time. This thesis not only expounds the inheritance of thought between "Muckraking Movement" and the Commercial Press and the Popular Press in the perspective of history, it also expounds the relationship between this movement and the deepen development of the entire capitalist economic system and the deepening of the economic system, besides, this thesis explores the social soil and the ideological roots of the movement at the same time. In the perspective of news, this thesis expounds the specific news practice activities of the muckrakers from three aspects:the subjects of the movement, the text of the muckraking news and the effect of the movement. Then basing on these analysis, this thesis try to summarize the solution, method and characteristics of how these American news media took their social responsibility in the social transition and what the media should do to take the responsibility. At last, this thesis analyses the implications to the social responsibility of the media which are obtained from the "Muckraking Movement". It can be concluded that the independence of the media should be regarded as the premise for the media to take the responsibility. As well, the intellectuals should be seen as the main body of the movement, and the pragmatic attitude and the scientific research methods should be taken to investigate and collect evidence to awake the public awareness, which would result in forming the public opinion and promote the social progress of the reform.The dissertation is composed of the preface and the main body which is divided into 3 chapters. The preface introduces the connotation of the social responsibility of the media and the concept of the "Muckraking Movement". Then it makes a review on the relevant literatures on these two subjects and summarizes advantages and shortcomings of predecessor’s research home and abroad. At last it clarifies the significance and originality of the research and plus with the explanation of the methods of this research.The first chapter commences from introducing the historical background of social transition and investigating the social background and the ideological roots of the development of the "Muckraking Movement". On a macro level, the "Muckraking Movement" is a part of the American progressive movement and it is also a response to the various kinds of questions which were arouse by the development of the capitalist economy which was approaching the monopoly stage at that time. However, as to the field of journalism, the movement was not only the specific performance of how the media took their responsibility to make a difference in the social reformation but also the inheritance of thought during the development of the media.The second chapter mostly aims at analyzing the "Muckraking Movement" itself. In order to expound the social responsibilities of the media, the thesis take the muckraking magazines and the "muckrakers" as the research objects, and illuminate their concrete working practice to explain the social responsibilities of the media. Three notable journalists and their famous works are taken as examples to make case studies. It can be found out that it is their fair, object, calm writing style and the solid investigation that making them credible. And the media social responsibility includes four requirements. The first one is not only reporting the real things but digging the truth behind them; the second one is constructing a public forum to exchange the opinions; the third one is clarifying the social goals and values for the public and guiding the progress direction; the last one is adhering to the unity of rights and obligations which is one of the most important fundamental elements of the media social responsibility.The third chapter mainly talks about the enlightenment on the social responsibility of the media which was derived from "Muckraking Movement". It commences from pointing out that the independence of the American media is indispensable for them to take social responsibility. Then it comes to the intellectuals who were the main subjects of the "Muckraking Movement", and their special social statues require them to contribute to social transition. From the perspective of the ideological roots of the movement, the philosophy of pragmatism is related to the movement and the theory of the media social responsibility, and it is important to clarify the interaction of thought, practice, theory, subject and social context to find out the influence of these five factors on social reformation.Basing on the analysis above, the conclusion part comes to the final evaluation of the characteristics of the media’s performance in taking responsibility in the "Muckraking Movement". This part also reveals the value and significance of this kind of responsibility which is quite special to the progressive movement. It is obvious that China is posited in a crucial period in social transition, what confronted by the Chinese people is quite like Americans did one hundred years ago. It is necessary for Chinese media to take the social responsibility and inherit the tradition of the "muckraker" to promote social reformation and actualize the smooth transition of the modern transformation.