EOTO Heros pt. 2

While I focused my EOTO hero on Mary Margret McBride, there are still so many other people who are concidered "journalist heros." I think that it is only fair to shed light onto another very influencal and important member of the journalism community. To continue to show the power of women in the work place, I have choosen to highlight the journey of Elizabeth James Cochran.

Nellie Bly or Elizabeth James Cochran was an investigative journalist that focused on insane asylums and world travels.

She wanted to write articles not only about women but also about men. Due to this she often found it hard to find work. So she set out to find a paper that would allow her to report on both.

Due to this she moved to New York City, in hopes to find a place where she can do this.

She ended up having to pretend to be mentally ill for 10 days in an asylum on Blackwell's Island. Her article was in six parts and was a hands- on story that we now called investigative journalism.

Her story called "Ten Days in a Mad-House" quickly gave Bly the recognition she deserved when New York World published her story.

Here is an excerpt from her article.

In spite of the knowledge of my sanity and the assurance that I would be released in a few days, my heart gave a sharp twinge. Pronounced insane by four expert doctors and shut up behind the unmerciful bolts and bars of a madhouse! Not to be confined alone, but to be a companion, day and night, of senseless, chattering lunatics; to sleep with them, to eat with them, to be considered one of them, was an uncomfortable position.

Excerpt from Brain Picking

This article got her in the door but after reading the novel "Around the World in 80 Days" Bly decided to take a journey of her own around the world which she documented.

Not only did she travel around the world but she did it in less than 80 days and actually held the world record for a little bit for traveling around the world in the least amount of time.

Nellie Bly was one of the main important people in journalism history. She not only fought for the rights of women but wanted to also report on men too. She is the creator of investigative journlism- which gives real life acounts of events.

She changed the way we go about journalsim today and further propelled journalists into finding the truth.