Check out this post and learn how pioneering investigative reporter Nellie Bly had herself committed to the infamous Blackwell Island insane asylum – just to get the story!
And what a story it was. Armed with her trademark courage and tenacity, Bly offered a first-hand account of the inhumane treatment patients were receiving, some of which she experienced herself.
The result was “a two-part illustrated exposé—the first called “Behind Asylum Bars,” and the second “Inside a Madhouse”—published in the New York World in 1887. The article was syndicated across the country, horrifying the public and forcing politicians to do something about it…”
Tom is originally from Brooklyn N.Y but has spent his entire professional career in South Carolina, most recently as Head of Reference Services at the College of Charleston. As part of the Against the Grain and Charleston Conference team, he serves as the associate editor of the print ATG as well as the co-editor of the webpage. Tom’s conference duties include coordinating the Penthouse Suite interviews as well as the conference poster sessions.
He received his MLS from the University of Buffalo, SUNY and a second master’s in public administration from the College of Charleston and the Univ. of South Carolina. His wife Carol and he live in downtown Charleston and she is an artist and a tour guide offering historic walking tours of the city.
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