Students should read about her today because she not only contributed to increase the function of the newspaper in modern society and encourage the Progressive reform movement via her accomplishments, but she also became a role model for women aspiring to be professional journalists.
She also accused Standard Oil of using unlawful acts in order to harm or destroy smaller oil firms. She examined these unlawful business transactions and reported about them for McClure's magazine. Her findings sparked legal battles that lasted all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
And finally, When Ida Tarbell produced a series of magazine pieces about John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Trust, she helped to pioneer investigative journalism. She and other journalists, dubbed "muckrakers," assisted the Progressive Movement's reform efforts.
Therefore, students should study Ida Tarbell.