The Brass Check : A Study of American Journalism

In this systematic critique of the structural basis of U.S. media - arguably the first one ever published - Upton Sinclair writes that "American journalism is a class institution serving the rich and spurning the poor." Likening journalists to prostitutes, the title of the book refers to a chit that was issued to patrons of urban brothels of the era.

Fueled by mounting disdain for newspapers run by business tycoons and conservative editors, Sinclair self-published "The Brass Check" in the years after "The Jungle" had made him a household name.

Despite Sinclair's claim that this was his most important book, it was dismissed by critics and shunned by reviewers.

A substantial introduction to this paperback edition by Robert W.

McChesney and Ben Scott asserts the book's importance as a cornerstone critique of commercial journalism and a priceless resource for understanding the political turbulence of the Progressive Era.