Nellie Bly(1864 — 1922)
Nellie Bly
États-Unis
8 min read
Journaliste américaine pionnière, Nellie Bly s'est illustrée par son journalisme d'investigation undercover, notamment en se faisant interner dans un asile psychiatrique pour en dénoncer les conditions. En 1889, elle réalise le tour du monde en 72 jours, battant le record fictif de Phileas Fogg.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« I said I could and I would. And I did. »
« Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything. »
Key Facts
- 1887 : s'infiltre sous couverture dans l'asile de Blackwell's Island à New York et publie 'Ten Days in a Mad-House', provoquant une réforme du système psychiatrique
- 1889-1890 : effectue le tour du monde en 72 jours, 6 heures et 11 minutes pour le New York World de Joseph Pulitzer
- Débute sa carrière au Pittsburgh Dispatch vers 1885, imposant ses sujets sur les conditions de vie des ouvrières
- 1913 : couvre la Première Guerre mondiale sur le front autrichien, l'une des rares femmes correspondantes de guerre de l'époque
- 1920 : milite activement pour le droit de vote des femmes, obtenu la même année par le 19e amendement
Works & Achievements
Account of her undercover investigation at the Blackwell's Island asylum, first published in the New York World and later as a book. This masterpiece of investigative journalism prompted immediate reform of New York's psychiatric system and remains a worldwide reference in the genre.
Account of her solo around-the-world journey completed in 72 days in 1889–1890, breaking the fictional record of Phileas Fogg. The book was a phenomenal success and made Nellie Bly an international celebrity.
Reportage drawn from her stays in Mexico, where she investigated the living conditions of the population and the policies of Porfirio Díaz. This book reflects her early interest in international social journalism.
A serialized novel published in the New York World, showing that Nellie Bly was not limited to reportage but also experimented with popular fiction.
A series of undercover articles on the working conditions of women in New York's factories and workshops. These pioneering texts contributed to debates on labor law and women's rights.
Anecdotes
In 1887, Nellie Bly feigned madness in order to be committed to the Blackwell's Island asylum in New York. For ten days, she endured the mistreatment inflicted on patients: revolting food, ice-cold baths, and violent guards. Her report published in the New York World caused a national scandal and led to an immediate reform of the American psychiatric system.
In November 1889, Nellie Bly left New York with the intention of traveling around the world in fewer than 80 days, challenging the fictional hero of Jules Verne. She traveled alone, with a single bag, by ship, train, and rickshaw. She completed the journey in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes, beating the record imagined by Verne, who sent her a congratulatory telegram.
During her around-the-world journey, Nellie Bly made a detour through Amiens to meet Jules Verne in person. The writer, curious and admiring, welcomed her into his home and followed her adventure with great enthusiasm on a wall map. This meeting between the real-life journalist and the fiction novelist perfectly illustrates the permeability between dream and reality at the end of the 19th century.
Before embarking on a career in journalism, Nellie Bly — born Elizabeth Jane Cochran — sent an indignant letter to the Pittsburgh Dispatch in response to a sexist article claiming that women belonged only in the home. The editor, rather than ignoring her, offered her a job. She was 18 years old at the time and had no professional experience.
In 1914, at over 50 years of age, Nellie Bly went to cover the First World War from the Austrian front for the New York Evening Journal. She was one of the first female war correspondents in American history, filing reports from conflict zones at a time when few women dared venture so far beyond the traditional role assigned to their sex.
Primary Sources
I said to myself that I would succeed in getting committed to the insane ward at Blackwell's Island. I had little belief in my ability to deceive the doctors, and yet I determined to try.
I always have a comfortable feeling that nothing is impossible if one applies a certain amount of energy in the right direction. When I want things done, which is always at the last moment, I get them done.
I have been reading your paper for some time past and have always enjoyed it very much, but I must say that your article on 'What Girls Are Good For' is a disgrace to your paper.
The insane asylum on Blackwell's Island is a human rat-trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out.
Key Places
It was in this grim psychiatric institution that Nellie Bly was forcibly committed for ten days in 1887. Her report on the conditions of confinement there permanently changed American mental health policy.
At this newspaper founded by Joseph Pulitzer, Nellie Bly became one of the first great investigative journalists. It was from here that all her most famous assignments originated.
During her around-the-world trip, Nellie Bly made a detour to Amiens to meet Jules Verne, whose novel had inspired her challenge. This symbolic stopover brought fiction and reality together.
It was in this industrial city that Nellie Bly grew up and began her career at the Pittsburgh Dispatch. There she discovered the social inequalities that would fuel her entire journalistic work.
As the Asian leg of her around-the-world journey, Nellie Bly stopped in Japan in December 1889. She observed with curiosity a radically different culture and purchased a monkey there that accompanied her all the way back to America.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Ten Days in a Mad-House
1887
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days
1890
Six Months in Mexico
1888
The Mystery of Central Park
1889
Reportages sur les ouvrières new-yorkaises
1887-1888
