Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller

Steve Weinberg, who knows the territory better than most, makes you feel like you were in the delivery room of the birth of investigative reporting. He gets inside the times and heads of his protagonists, Tarbell and Rockefeller, to deftly set up the dynamic between them: tension, suspicion, a weird combination of loathing and admiration. What I loved about the book was how modern it feels--Tarbell as the prototypical investigative journalist, a writer first and foremost with a lion's heart, who alternately basks in her talents and worries often that she has stepped over the line that demarcates dispassionate journalism from advocacy. Even Weinberg intimates that Tarbell may have now and then crossed that line. Meanwhile, there is Rockefeller, a man not without feeling or sensitivites, who nonetheless cannot escape the notion that his wealth must be some divine sign that he is deserving of it. It isn't hard to flashforward to the contemporary, often rancorous debate over journalistic objectivty versus advocacy, or to see Rockefeller and his attitudes at play in the current economic meltdown. For it has been the new "smartest guys in the room"--echoing Rockefellers greed but propelled by hubris instead of religion--who amount to the Robber Barons of this decade.

Exceptionally well written book by a renowned current day investigative reporter about one of our first and foremost investigative reporters, Ida Tarbell. You'll learn about REAL American history starting with the early days of the oil business, thru the Civil War and into the industrial boom of the early 20th Century. Its an extremely perceptive American historical masterpiece and a real life feminist saga not to be missed by men and women alike.

Some journalists revel in muckraking reportage, and it doesn't make any difference to them that "muckraking" has been used as a term of opprobrium. There was a time when there was no tradition of newspapers doing investigative reporting; that tradition had to be invented. One of the inventors was Ida Tarbell who let the nation know how John D. Rockefeller was misusing corporate power. She didn't like to be called a muckraker, although she was in favor of reform, and the term had been coined by reform-minded Teddy Roosevelt. She resented that the term stuck to her, but it continues to do so. Rockefeller resented that her portrait of his abusive practices stuck to him, but it continues to do so. Tarbell was a journalistic innovator who deserves to be well known for her historic contributions to reporting and to society, and in _Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller_ (Norton) by Steve Weinberg, the story is told in absorbing detail. The book is supposed to tell the story of both main characters, but Weinberg is a reporter himself and can be excused for making Tarbell the star. She is, anyway, a lot more interesting than Rockefeller who didn't have much going for him except for the capacity to make lots of money, the same as many robber barons of the time. Tarbell never had anything close to the money or influence that Rockefeller had, but she won the contest between them, and she was the one proved right after all. Tarbell shared her family's distrust of Standard Oil. Her father, and later her brother, became independent oil producers, and neither of them sold out to Standard Oil. Plenty of others did; Rockefeller swallowed up competitors and, as he pointed out, the smart ones took Standard Oil stock and became very rich indeed. The ones who tried to stay independent struggled to stay in business. Weinberg documents that her personal feelings may have powered her resolve to tell the Standard Oil story, but that she relied on facts as she had in all her previous researches. Here main revelation in her articles for _McClure's_ magazine was that Standard Oil had beaten out competitors by making secret deals with the railroads that transported its oil. She got the facts by looking at the files of letters kept by Rockefeller's competitors, by checking the records of his Baptist congregation, by looking into the records of governmental investigations into Standard Oil, and by contacting (with the help of Mark Twain) a sort of "Deep Throat" figure within the company itself. She not only connected facts, but she specifically reported about the sources she used; documenting sources is taken for granted now, but it was a novelty that she introduced into reporting. _McClure's_ published her series of articles from 1902 to 1904, the year her _History of the Standard Oil Company_ came out. Those who read her report could scarcely avoid agreeing with her evaluation that Rockefeller "... has introduced into

Author Steve Weinberg writes that Ida Tarbell's expose of John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil Company is "arguably the greatest work of investigative journalism ever written." As a veteran investigative journalist myself, I wouldn't argue with that because Steve Weinberg is one of the best investigative biographers in our imperiled craft. I say "imperiled" because the newspapers that largely support our work are in an alarming state of decline. Will investigative reporting become a too-expensive luxury? What a horrible tragedy that would be. Ida Tarbell and the legions of investigative journalists who followed her example have been the watchdogs who have made democracy work. This book shows the critical importance of that role, as performed more than a century ago. Thanks to Steve Weinberg for bringing the pioneering Ida Tarbell back to life again today.

Steve Weinberg, one of America's most accomplished Journalism professors, has taken a "busman's holiday," in writing this fascinating and beautifully researched book. Weinberg, an inspiration to several generations of University of Missouri students, has written about one of his own heroes who no doubt helped influence his rather prestigious academic pathway. He has most satisfyingly delved into the epic battle of a single, brilliant young woman who successfully defined the power of the free press in 1904, pioneering investigative journalist Ida Tarbell who "muckraked" up the expensive and deep sediment underneath Standard Oil, standing alone against the awesome wealth and power of John D. Rockefeller. Prof. Weinberg is as complete and intimate with his subject as any historian. Infused into this book is his profound sense of appreciation of the fierce, burning integrity and inspirational relentlessness of Ida Tarbell. He makes an excellent case for her monumental, fearless work "The History of the Standard Oil Company," as being the greatest work of investigative journalism ever written. The rich and world-saving traditions of the press in the twentieth century in many ways find their roots in Tarbell and her publisher Samuel McClure, who proved that the battle armor of a democratic society is its free press; without it, the people live in the dark. This book will give the reader a completely refreshed pride in discovering that history can be riveting. In addition, it holds tremendous insight into the late-nineteenth century roots of the women's movement for equal rights, as well as the revolution for the rights of America's workers at the hands of monopolistic, big business. Ida Tarbell will become one of your new heroes.