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Primary sourceSpeech1906

The Man with the Muck Rake

Theodore Roosevelt · 1906

A 1906 speech by Theodore Roosevelt that coined the term 'muckraker' to describe reform journalists, showing his mixed feelings about press exposés.

Roosevelt delivered this speech himself, revealing his own views on the journalists whose reporting shaped his reform agenda.

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About this source

What it is

This is a speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, delivered near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. In it, Roosevelt referenced the character of the Man with the Muck Rake from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress to describe journalists who exposed corruption and wrongdoing.

Why it matters

Roosevelt's speech gave rise to the term 'muckraker,' still used today to describe investigative journalists. Although Roosevelt relied on muckraking journalism to build support for reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act, this speech reveals his discomfort with journalists who he felt focused too much on exposing wrongdoing without offering solutions. It shows the complicated relationship between a reforming president and the press that helped drive his agenda.

Look closer

  • Why might Roosevelt have chosen an image from a famous religious allegory to make his point?
  • What does Roosevelt's choice of words suggest about his opinion of journalists who criticized businesses and government?
  • How might journalists of the time have responded to being compared to the 'Man with the Muck Rake'?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Theodore Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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