A term coined by Theodore Roosevelt as a criticism of writers who wrote about scandalous situations and distasteful alliances involving money. The name became a badge of honor among "muckrakers" determined to expose the seedy, sordid side of life in the United States. They sought to shock the public into recognizing the shameful state of political, economic, and social affairs and to prompt people into action. Much of their work was published in cheap magazines of the time.