Sex Trafficking, Scandal, and the Transformation of Journalism, 1885–1917

225 Pages·2013·0.95 MB·English

by  Gretchen Soderlund

sex trafficking, scandal, and the transformation
of journalism, 1885– 1917

sex trafficking, scandal,
and the transformation of
journalism, 1885– 1917
gretchen soderlund
the university of chicago press
chicago and london
gretchen soderlund is assistant professor of media history in the University of
Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2013 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2013.
Printed in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
isbn- 13: 978-0-226-02136-2 (cloth)
isbn- 13: 978-0-226-02153-9 (paper)
isbn- 13: 978-0-226-02167-6 (e-b ook)
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Soderlund, Gretchen, 1970–
Sex traffi cking, scandal, and the transformation of journalism, 1885– 1917 /
Gretchen Soderlund.
pages; cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-226-02136-2 (alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-226-02153-9 (pbk.: alk. paper) —
isbn 978-0-226-02167-6 (e- book) 1. Human traffi cking—Press coverage—New York
(State)—New York—History. 2. Human traffi cking—Press coverage—Illinois—
Chicago—History. 3. Sensationalism in journalism—United States—History.
4. Journalism—United States—History. I. Title.
hq144.s69 2013
306.3′62—dc23 2012043194
o This paper meets the requirements of ansi/ niso z39.48-1992 (Permanence
of Paper).
for dan

contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xvii
1. White Slavery and Journalism’s Shifting Axis of Truth 1
2. William T. Stead and the “Soul” of Sensationalism 24
3. The Journalism of Reform and the Reform of Journalism 67
4. George Kibbe Turner, Muckraking, and the Brief Reign
of Piteous Facts 98
5. Authorizing Skepticism: The New York Times and the
Demise of Muckraking 124
6. From Sensation to Secrecy: The Rockefeller Grand Jury
and Its Aftermath 148
Conclusion 172
Notes 177
Index 201
vii

preface
In the seventy-t wo years between 1835 and 1907, the tone and style of
news coverage of prostitution changed dramatically. Some of these
changes can be glimpsed in the following three stories drawn from the daily
papers of New York and Chicago. In 1835, the New York Sun printed this
lewd and jocular account of two brothel marauders in its “Crime Beat” sec-
tion: “On Saturday night a gentleman named Thomas H. Niven, a carpenter
by trade, and another named William Westervelt, a merchant, went to the
nunnery of Mrs. Phebe Doty, No. 35 Leonard street, on some special em-
bassy, and while there, as charged, became riotous and disorderly, violated
the peace and dignity of the sanctum sanctorium of Mrs. Doty’s domicil,
and then to clap the climax of their sin, actually abused in a shameless
manner the venerable lady herself.”1 This satirical example from the pre-
mier Jacksonian- era penny press paper fi gured madams and clients as little
more than public nuisances and fodder for jokes about religion and social
class. The brothel’s existence was a mundane, if annoying, aspect of city
life in the 1830s. The story lampooned commercial sex and its potential
consequences—a “climax” followed by the “clap.” Notably, the paper pub-
licly announced the names of the male brothel visitors and their respec-
tive trades. Yet Niven and Westervelt’s public outing was not intended to
shame or humiliate; their transgressions were meant to entertain readers,
who were cast as knowing participants in the story’s puns and wordplay.
Mrs. Doty, the object of the men’s crime, took the brunt of the Sun’s jest.
She was mockingly referred to as a “venerable lady,” while her “nunnery”
was represented as a sacred altar and vagina. The story only alluded to the
extent of Niven and Westervelt’s abuses. The madam’s victimization drew
little sympathy from the Sun’s police reporter. In the end, these working-
ix