Dubbed "muckrakers" by theodore roosevelt, what role did many journalsits and otherwriters assume at the turn of the century?

They went behind the scenes and exposed the working environment of the corrupt businesses.

"muckrakers" was a term used by teddy rooselvelt to describe the journalists who directed their attention towards social, economic, and political injustices. They mostly targeted railroad companies because they believed they were powerful and deeply corrupt. They turned their attention mostly to government, particularly to the urban political machines