15 Pioneering Female Journalists

Learn the stories of fifteen groundbreaking female journalists throughout history

Ida B. Wells (Image via Google Cultural Institute)

Journalism has been around, in some form or another, since the 17th century. Since then, newspapers, magazines, and other news sources have been a nearly constant force in everyday life. The people who create content for them – writers, investigators, photographers, researchers, and more – now participate in a long and often complicated history.

While current trends like fake news and twenty-four-hour coverage have eroded modern audience’s trust in the news cycle, journalism remains an important part of our society. Groundbreaking reporting can often make or break a political or social moment. For instance, the work of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein proved to be pivotal in exposing the Watergate scandal and aiding in the political downfall of then-President Richard Nixon. To this day, well-researched and well-written investigative reporting is a linchpin of modern journalism. Even editorials, reviews, and other pieces can provide important news and commentary to the reading public. In short, journalism was and still remains important.

Like in many fields, women have not always been included in the first few generations of journalists. However, unlike in other careers, there are several early exceptions to this rule. Yes, women in previous centuries were often expected to remain quietly in the home, tending to households and family members. Still, writing and journalism was at least something “respectable” for a particularly determined woman to do.

Of course, many women soon began to move beyond quiet offices and staid writing desks. Included in this list are numerous women who traveled out into their communities and beyond, speaking with others and witnessing the plight of those around them. Several of the women here were pioneering war correspondents who often put themselves in the path of great danger, not only to get a good story, but to relay the horrors faced by other people and perhaps forge a better path ahead for their fellow humans.

Though it would be almost impossible to pay proper tribute to every female journalist who has ever written an article or taken a photograph, this is a good place to start. What follows are fifteen of some of the most pioneering female journalists, from history to the modern day.