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Journalism in Action
Civic Engagement and Primary Sources Through Key Moments in History

Journalism through the years

Welcome to Journalism in Action, a site that allows you to explore the ways journalists have covered key moments in US history.


Journalism in Action builds media literacy skills and civic engagement through a historical lens with fun, engaging interactive features for middle and high-schoolers.


  • Explore key moments and themes in U.S. history through our twelve case studies below.
  • Play with interactive features such as annotators, puzzlers, social media builders, and more.
  • Learn the basics of sources and journalism through our Media Literacy Mini-Lessons.
  • Visit our How’d They Cover It? historic timeline and try out the Student Challenge for a chance to be published on the site!

Watch this short video to see how Journalism in Action works!

See How It Works

Native American History

In this case study, you will learn how journalists have covered the history and activism of Native Americans in the United States. You will also investigate the genocide inflicted on Native Americans, the civil rights movements undertaken by Native activists, and current key cultural and political news stories.

(Cover photo: Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, journalist. Courtesy of Indian Country Today for educational purposes.)

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The American Revolution and Early Republic

Evaluate news stories from the American Revolution and early years of the republic and learn how the press used a variety of techniques to direct public sentiment for or against a particular side.

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The Civil War through the Journalist's Lens

Evaluate how journalists reported on slavery and military conflict during the Civil War. Then create your own front page story about a modern-day issue using the principles of Civil War journalism.

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Campaign for Women’s Suffrage

Critique journalists’ coverage of the women’s suffrage movement, and explore the story of ratification in your own state.

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Science & Technology

In this case study, you’ll learn how journalists covered scientific achievements, such as new vaccines and the space shuttle, and efforts by the public and lawmakers to pass the Clean Water Act and create the Environmental Protection Agency. 

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Covering Mental Health

Uncover the secrets behind investigative journalist Nellie Bly, who exposed conditions inside a New York City psychiatric hospital, and discover Dorothea Dix, whose activism in the mid-1800s revolutionized opinions on how the mentally ill should be treated.

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Investigative Journalists: The Muckrakers

Meet the muckrakers, a group of pioneering investigative journalists like Ida Tarbell and Ida B. Wells who shone a light on corrupt business and government practices as well as societal injustices like racism during the Progressive Era.

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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and Migrant Workers

Plan your own investigative news segment on the issues that immigrants face today after analyzing the techniques used by journalists covering sweatshop and migrant farm workers in the early to mid-twentieth century.

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Female Journalists of World War II

Analyze the work of World War II correspondents who broke barriers, informed the homefront, and challenged public perception.

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Vietnam: Search for the Truth

Analyze the impact of television journalism during the Vietnam War, and trace the impact of the leaked Pentagon Papers, secret government documents on America’s strategy in Vietnam.

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Covering Watergate

Discover the electrifying impact of journalists on the Watergate investigation as they struggled against White House resistance to inform the public of the truth.

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Gender Equality

From suffrage to equal pay to #MeToo, journalists have played a role in highlighting discrimination against women. With the advent of the Internet and social media in the twenty-first century, members of the public have been able to share more of their own stories of the struggle for gender equality.

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Native American History

1400s to present

American Rev./Early Republic

1760s-1800s

Civil War

1860s

Women's Suffrage

1840s to 1920

Science & Technology

1750s to Present

Mental Health

1840s–1890s

Muckrakers

1890s–1920s

Exploitation: Labor and Immigration

Early to Mid-1900s

World War II

1939-1945

Vietnam

1954–1975

Watergate

1972-1974

Gender Equality

1850s to Present

Terms and Definitions

Civic Participation

An activity by an individual or group of people that addresses a public concern facing the community. Such engagement plays a key role in democracy and may influence government’s decisions or be nonpolitical in nature.

Journalism

A form of published writing that gathers, presents, and informs people about events that have taken place. Journalists use different media to present their news stories, including newspapers, magazines, websites, radio, and video or broadcast.

Primary Source

Firsthand accounts of a topic from people who had a direct connection with it. Primary sources come in many forms, including letters, speeches, photos, or newspaper reports by journalists who witnessed an event or interviewed people who did.

Free Press

The principle that communication by the news media should be considered a right to be exercised freely and is guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . .”

Journalism Matters is part of the Teaching with Primary Sources Partner Program.
Supported by a grant from the Library of Congress