Internationally, journalism has long been a male-dominated field. Although more women are represented in the media today than ever before, this progress did not come easily. It was driven by the courage and determination of trailblazing women who challenged the social norms.
Today, 41% of reporters in traditional news articles are women, whereas they only made up 28% in 1995, according to UN Women. As we celebrate International Women’s Month, it’s crucial to recognize and honor the women who broke barriers, proving that women are just as capable of excelling and leading in journalism as men.
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly was and still is one of the most impactful journalists today. Born as Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Bly is from Cochran’s Mill, Pennsylvania, where she was born on May 5, 1864. She grew up in a large, working-class family alongside her 15 siblings. Her father passed away when she was young.
She attended boarding school and later the Indiana Normal School, but faced many limitations in her early career opportunities. As she struggled to find meaningful work, her path led her to writing, and eventually, journalism.
Bly decided to do investigative work at Blackwell’s Island asylum in New York City, which is initially how her name became popular throughout the journalism world. She wanted to uncover how the patients were treated, and went undercover as the patient “Nellie Brown.”To expose how patients were treated, she went undercover as “Nellie Brown.”
She documented her experience in her book, Ten Days in a Mad-House, which was published in 1887. She wrote, “I was left to begin my career as Nellie Brown, the insane girl.”
Inside, she discovered how harsh the patients were treated. Her time at the asylum was described as “dehumanizing,” as the patients were brutally beaten, drowned, and fed spoiled food. The nurses had no remorse for the patients or how they were abused.
Bly’s exposé shocked the public, and her book revealed the systemic cruelty in the institution. Having the courage to pretend to be someone else has greatly inspired investigative journalism in our modern world. Her work also showed how immersive journalism can create social change.
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and activist for women’s rights. She was born into slavery on July 16, 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and was the oldest of her seven siblings. Three years after her birth, she was freed from slavery under the Emancipation Proclamation. At the age of 14, she started teaching in a country school. She continued teaching after her move to Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Fisk University for summer classes.
In 1887, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled against Wells in a lawsuit she brought against the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Wells was forcibly removed from her seat in a “colored only” car, though she fought against giving up her spot.
Through her pen name, Iola, Wells began to write newspaper articles about the education that was available to African-American children. Because the school did not renew her teaching contract, she turned to journalism, co-owning the newspaper, The Memphis Free Speech.
Wells started an editorial campaign against lynching after her own friends were lynched by a mob. She then continued her advocacy as a staff writer for the New York Age. Then as an organizer and lecturer for anti-lynching groups.
After, she married and contributed to her husband’s newspaper, the Chicago Conservator, and to other local newspapers and publications. Alongside her journalism career, she was a secretary for the National Afro-American Council and helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Through her works in activism and journalistic career, Wells remains as a historic figure for not only the journalistic community, but women and people of color. Wells was one of the first Black women to own a newspaper in the United States, and her actions greatly impacted American society.
Katharine Graham
Born on June 16, 1917 in New York, New York Katharine Graham became one of the most influential figures in journalism. She was an American business executive who owned and published several news publications. Graham became most notably known for her help with The Washington Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.
By 1946, her husband became the publisher of the Post. After her husband’s death, she became the president of the publication, as well as a publisher for a decade. Graham’s leading actions for the organization led the company to become known for their investigative reporting.
Around 25 years later, Graham was officially the chief executive officer for the Post, becoming the first ever female CEO of a major American company. She even received the Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History, published in 1997.
Her time at the publication completely transformed the Post. When Graham stepped down from her positions, what had once been a newspaper publication had already expanded into television, cable, magazine, and even educational services businesses.
These three women, along with many more historical and modern figures, have and continue to shape the journalism industry. Their courage and persistence in standing up for what they believed in opened doors not only for women in media but for greater opportunities across the field as a whole. Bly, Wells, and Graham proved that even in a time when society viewed women only as “housewives,” they could achieve the same success as men.
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