Lincoln Steffens

Type: Person

As of November 2026, Lincoln Steffens has been mentioned in one podcast episode on American History Tellers (May 2025). Used as a leading example of municipal-corruption reporting through McClure’s, culminating in "The Shame of Cities" and shaping public pressure for reform.

Joseph Lincoln Steffens was an American investigative journalist and one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era in the early 20th century. He launched a series of articles in McClure's, called "Tweed Days in St. Louis", that would later be published together in a book titled The Shame of the Cities. He is remembered for investigating corruption in municipal government in American cities and for his balanced views.