Ida Tarbell and the Rise of Investigative Journalism

In the late 19th Century, the growth of powerful business monopolies led to concerns about corruption and unfair competition. Journalist Ida Tarbell drew on her family’s experience with John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company to investigate its business practices. In a series of articles published between 1902 and 1904, Tarbell documented how Standard Oil used secret deals and other tactics to weaken competitors. Her clear, evidence-based reporting helped readers understand how the company built its dominance in the oil industry.

Tarbell’s work contributed to public pressure for greater corporate accountability and helped advance the Progressive Movement. In 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Standard Oil to be broken up under federal antitrust law. Tarbell’s reporting also helped establish investigative journalism as a way to expose abuses of power and inform public debate.