This volume was inspired by the response to the conference on "Muckraking: Past, Present, and Future," held at the Pennsylvania State University, May 14-16, 1970, with the editors serving as cochairman. The idea of such a conference emerged from a continuing series of discussions, growing out of our mutual concerns with muckraking and muckrakers as a historical phenomenon. We were aware, too, of mounting evidence that a kind of journalism much like that which had flourished early in this century was enjoying a vigorous revival. The term "muckraking" was being used with increasing frequency about many reporters and authors. The time seemed right for exploration of both the historical and contemporary manifestations of muckraking. - Preface.