“The Best Reporter in America”

Nellie Bly’s first day at the psychiatric hospital was unlike anything she could have imagined. After being fed spoiled food, she was led into a bathroom where a worker poured bucket after bucket of ice-cold, dirty water over her head, forcing her to take a bath.

“My teeth chattered and my limbs were goose-fleshed and blue with cold,” Bly later wrote. “I think I experienced some of the sensations of a drowning person as they dragged me, gasping [and] shivering . . . from the tub.”

It was the fall of 1887, and Bly, then 23, had been committed to a women’s mental health facility on Blackwell’s Island in New York City. But Bly didn’t have a mental illness. Instead, she was an undercover journalist who had faked being sick so doctors would commit her. Her goal: to expose the inhumane living conditions at the hospital and the brutal treatment of the patients.

Nellie Bly’s first day at the psychiatric hospital was not like anything she could have imagined. She was fed spoiled food. Then she was led into a bathroom. There, a worker poured bucket after bucket of dirty, ice-cold water over her head, forcing her to take a bath.

“My teeth chattered and my limbs were goose-fleshed and blue with cold,” Bly later wrote. “I think I experienced some of the sensations of a drowning person as they dragged me, gasping [and] shivering . . . from the tub.”

It was the fall of 1887. Bly, then 23, had been put into a women’s mental health facility. It was on Blackwell’s Island in New York City. But Bly did not have a mental illness. Instead, she was an undercover journalist. She had faked being sick so doctors would commit her. Her goal was to expose the inhumane living conditions at the hospital and the brutal treatment of the patients.

Bly’s reporting about the abuses at Blackwell’s was published later that year in a series of articles in the New York World, then one of the biggest newspapers in the country. It was also turned into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (see "Skill Spotlight," below).

Bly’s exposé led to lasting changes at the hospital and better treatment of people with mental illnesses across the country. It also put Bly on the map as a leading investigative journalist. That’s a reporter who spends weeks, months, or even years investigating a topic in an attempt to expose injustices or corruption.

“The most important thing that she did was she gave a voice to voiceless people,” says Rosemary J. Brown, the author of a book about Bly. “She got them in the news.”

Bly’s reporting about the abuses at Blackwell’s was published later that year. It ran in a series of articles in the New York World, then one of the biggest newspapers in the country. It was also turned into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House (see "Skill Spotlight," below).

Bly’s exposé led to lasting changes at the hospital. It led to better treatment of people with mental illnesses across the country too. It also put Bly on the map as a leading investigative journalist. That is a reporter who spends weeks, months, or even years investigating a topic, trying to expose injustices or corruption.

“The most important thing that she did was she gave a voice to voiceless people,” says Rosemary J. Brown. She is the author of a book about Bly. “She got them in the news.”

Bly’s career as a journalist began in Pennsylvania in 1885. While browsing a local newspaper, the Pittsburgh Dispatch, Bly came across an op-ed titled “What Girls Are Good For.” The writer had claimed that a working woman was a “monstrosity” and that women should stick to performing household tasks and raising kids.

Such thinking may seem outrageous today, but it wasn’t uncommon in the 19th century. Back then, women played far less of a role in public life than they do now and they weren’t yet allowed to vote nationwide. 

Still, Bly was furious. She wrote a passionate letter to the editor, calling girls “just as smart” as boys and “a great deal quicker to learn.” The editor was so impressed by Bly’s writing that he published her response—and offered her a job.

Bly’s career as a journalist began in Pennsylvania in 1885. Bly was browsing a local newspaper, the Pittsburgh Dispatch. She came across an op-ed titled “What Girls Are Good For.” The writer had claimed that a working woman was a “monstrosity” and that women should stick to performing household tasks and raising kids.

Such thinking may seem outrageous today. But it was not uncommon in the 19th century. Back then, women played far less of a role in public life than they do now. They also were not yet allowed to vote nationwide.

Still, Bly was furious. She wrote a passionate letter to the editor, calling girls “just as smart” as boys and “a great deal quicker to learn.” The editor was so impressed by Bly’s writing that he published her response—and offered her a job.

Bly’s career didn’t end there, however. In 1889, she again captured the world’s attention by attempting a solo trip around the globe. Inspired by the popular book Around the World in Eighty Days, she set off on a 25,000-mile journey—via ship, train, donkey, and more. Along the way, Bly documented the people and places she encountered, and readers followed her every move. She completed the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes, briefly holding the world record for such a voyage.  

Upon returning home, Bly went on to cover the women’s suffrage movement. She also reported from the trenches in Europe during World War I (1914-1918).

Bly’s career did not end there, however. In 1889, she again captured the world’s attention by trying a solo trip around the globe. Inspired by the popular book Around the World in Eighty Days, she set off on a 25,000-mile journey. She traveled by ship, train, donkey, and more. Along the way, Bly wrote about the people she met and places she visited. Readers followed her every move. She finished the trip in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes. She briefly held the world record for such a voyage.

Upon returning home, Bly went on to cover the women’s suffrage movement. She also reported from the trenches in Europe during World War I (1914-1918).

When Bly died of pneumonia in 1922 at the age of 57, the New York Evening Journal ran an obituary calling her “the best reporter in America.” Just last year, a monument honoring her was unveiled in New York City where the psychiatric hospital once stood.

In the century since her death, countless journalists worldwide have followed in Bly’s footsteps, holding powerful people and institutions accountable. Over the years, investigative journalists have exposed everything from unfair labor practices to government corruption. Their stories—big and small, global and local—have become front-page news, with some even altering the course of history. 

“[Bly practically] invented investigative journalism when she went undercover [at Blackwell’s],” says Brown. “She created a new brave journalism that actually has the possibility to—and often does—change the world.”

When Bly died of pneumonia in 1922 at the age of 57, the New York Evening Journal ran an obituary calling her “the best reporter in America.” Just last year, a monument honoring her was unveiled in New York City where the psychiatric hospital once stood.

In the century since her death, countless journalists worldwide have followed in Bly’s footsteps, holding powerful people and institutions accountable. Over the years, investigative journalists have exposed everything from unfair labor practices to government corruption. Their stories—big and small, global and local—have become front-page news. Some have even altered the course of history.

“[Bly practically] invented investigative journalism when she went undercover [at Blackwell’s],” says Brown. “She created a new brave journalism that actually has the possibility to—and often does—change the world.”