Throughout the book, Mightier than the Sword, Rodger Streimatter describes journalistic events in time that have ultimately shaped history to what we know of it to be today. In his last chapter, he specifically describes ten instances that have made big historical impacts. A few of them are, first,  how the news organization who have influenced important events, has set the agenda. He goes on to use the example of Ida Tarbell and her reporting and investigation on the Standard Oil Company. The news organizations that have set the agenda, their reporters were willing to “stand alone”. These organizations broke away from the pack journalism and “the journalists who’ve helped build this country into what it is today did so partly by consciously and fearlessly breaking from the pack, despite what were often severe consequences.” Many journalists have stood in harms way in order to stand up to the American society. For example, when Thomas Nast was drawing cartoons of “Boss Tweed” he would receive many death threats and ended up having to relocate his family  for their safety. However, he still stuck with his cartoon publications. Along with this, many journalists have shaped the American history by putting the principles of journalism first, rather than what they were making from a financial stand point. Streitmatter visually draws a timeline of many historical events which were shaped with the help of journalism. Streitmatter says that the pen can be mightier than the sword, like how print, broadcast, and online sources of media worked together to help advocate for gay and lesbian rights. These are just a few of the ways in which journalism has helped shape history. These historical events have helped shaped history to what it is today, and it will help further shape the future as well.

Streitmatter, R. (2015). Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History. Westview Pres.