Final Jeopardy: Investigative Journalists (7-16-12)
The Final Jeopardy question (7/16/2012) in the category “Investigative Journalists” was:
David Phillips, whose exposé reporting inspired this word made popular by Teddy Roosevelt, was later shot dead.
Liza Veeneman defeated a 2-day champ on Friday, winning $12,800 with the only correct Final Jeopardy! answer. Today she is up against these two new players: Matt Collins, from Cambridge, MA and Blythe Rodgers, from Washington, DC.
Matt found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Making the Grade.” He was in the lead with $3,200, $200 more than Liza. He bet $800 and he was RIGHT.
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Matt finished in the lead with $5,800. Blythe was second with $3,000 and Liza was last with $1,600.
Matt found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “I’m on the Case.” He still had the lead, only now he had $9,400, $4,400 more than Blythe in second place. He bet $2,000 and he was RIGHT.
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Blythe found the last Daily Double, a video showing a map, in “Neighbors of Niger.” She was still in second place, only now she had $10,200, only $2,400 less than Matt. She bet $3,000, and she was RIGHT.
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Blythe finished in the lead with $20,000. Matt was next with $13,000 and Liza was in third place with $8,400.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
“President Theodore Roosevelt… was seen to be on the side of these investigative journalists until David Graham Phillips began a series of articles in Cosmopolitan entitled The Treason in the Senate. This included an attack on some of Roosevelt’s political allies and he responded with a speech where he compared the investigative journalist with the muckraker in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress: ‘the man who could look no way but downward with the muck-rake in his hands; who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth on the floor.’ These investigative journalists objected to being described as muckrakers. They felt betrayed as they felt they had helped Theodore Roosevelt to get elected….” (Spartacus Educational: Muckraking)
David Graham Phillips’ murder didn’t really have anything to do with the muckraking.
All of the contestants had the same answer. “Bully.” The word bully is often associated with Roosevelt out of context. It comes from his statement: “I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!” The meaning of bully in that context is first-rate.
Liza bet it all and finished with nothing.
Matt bet ten big ones and finished with $3,000.
Blythe bet $6,001 and won the game with her remaining $13,999. She’s the new Jeopardy! champ. Great job, Blythe!
