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ARE YOU THE NEXT NELLY BLY, BOB WOODWARD OR IAN WOOLDRIDGE?

Have you ever heard the story of Nelly Bly?
 
Nelly was born in 1864 and always dreamed of being a reporter. But women didn’t work in newsrooms in the late 19th century and those that did were expected to only contribute to the arts and social pages.
 
But Nelly was different and after earning a job at a rough and tough tabloid in New York, she set about making her mark.
 
She’d heard reports of patient abuse at a local women’s asylum but couldn’t find the proof she needed to write the story.
 
So she checked into a working-class boarding house and refused to go to bed – telling the boarders they were looking at her in a funny way and that they all seemed crazy.
 
But they thought she was the mad one and duly called the Police.
 
One court appearance later and Nelly was finally inside the asylum – as a patient.
 
For more than a week she suffered and chronicled the foul food, fouler conditions and patient abuse. When she got out her story, ‘Ten Days in the Madhouse’, caused a national sensation.
 
The asylum was closed, the owners were arrested and the US government found nearly one million dollars to contribute to women’s mental health issues.
 
That’s why you should be a journalist.