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REPORTER AT WORK: Tarbell wielding the poison pen, circa 1905. Photo courtesy of the Ida M. Tarbell Collection, Pelletier Library, Allegheny College

'That Poisonous Woman'

Crusading female reporter takes on powerful man, invents journalism genre.

Ida Minerva Tarbell was a colossus of Progressive Era journalism, a writer whose drive, determination and uncompromising passion for truth has for more than a century represented the gold standard in investigative reporting, a genre she is credited with inventing. Tarbell's History of the Standard Oil Company, serialized over 19 issues of McClure's Magazine between November 1902 and October 1904, was her masterpiece: a carefully observed, meticulously documented account of how the planet's most powerful corporation had, in Tarbell's words, "never played fair."

In a new book, Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller, investigative journalist, MU professor and Illumination contributor Steve Weinberg recounts how Tarbell's dogged digging unearthed not only the unsavory business practices of the Standard Oil Company, but also the ruthless intensity of the company's iconic founder, John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

"She believed," Weinberg writes, "that research could lead to an approximation of Truth, indeed with a capital T." In Rockefeller's case, Truth turned out to be somewhat equivocal. Tarbell's final judgment was less so.

"Our national life is on every side distinctly poorer, uglier, meaner, for the kind of influence he exercises," Tarbell wrote. Millions agreed, and Tarbell's History, published in book form in 1904, became a best seller. Rockefeller, for his part, refused public comment. Privately, he referred to Tarbell as "that poisonous woman."

That Tarbell's writings, poisonous and otherwise, are little known today is a pity, especially for aspiring journalists. "The author's brief references to Wal-Mart and contemporary journalism suggest that he hopes this engaging account -- a likely pick for journalism classes -- can help inspire more reporters to follow in Tarbell's footsteps," wrote a reviewer in Publisher's Weekly.

Quite so, says Weinberg. "Her history is certainly inspirational, a great piece of investigative journalism -- both the reporting and the writing," he says. "But beyond the inspiration, her techniques are something any journalist can learn from; a real primer for the investigative reporter."

Published by the Office of Research.

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