There is something naturally scary about going first.  Maybe it is the possibility of failure and then the consequences that would follow or maybe it is a feeling of not wanting to be alone, but once someone has gone first it very easy to follow.  This is prevalent all over life.  Many people saw Lincoln Steffens as the first person to step on Goliath’s toes, but he knew that he was just following in the footsteps of Thomas Nast – reporter that helped to take down William “Boss” Tweed –   and he was certainly not the first to do it.  Steffens made this very evident by naming his first piece “Tweed Days in St. Louis.”  He wanted to get a point across that this was not to be taken lightly be any means.  The corruption would run over many different states and cities.  This was only the beginning though, this lead to an unbelievable upswing for journalism.   

Lincoln Steffens