WOMEN IN BUSINESS JOURNALISM HISTORY

When New York University selected its “Top 100 Works of Journalism in the Century,” in 1999, the only two women reporters named to the top ten did so by making contributions to business journalism. Ranking second on the list was Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring took on the chemical and pesticides industries, leading to stricter regulations and the eventual banning of DDT. The fifth was Ida Tarbell, whose 1902-1904 series in McClure’s Magazine, the History of the Standard Oil Company, exposed John D. Rockefeller’s monopolistic practices. Published in book form in 1904, Tarbell’s investigation contributed to the eventual break-up of Rockefeller’s business empire and new federal business regulations. Yet, beyond these two and a handful of luminaries such as the personal finance guru Sylvia Porter, the story of women business journalists has been little told. This chapter has three purposes: (1) to capture narratives of women business journalists whose contributions are not recorded on the pages of journalism history, (2) to expand the scope of women’s studies in journalism by focusing on the field of business journalism, and (3) to suggest opportunities for future scholarship on women in the profession of business journalism and women as a subject within business journalism.