Sob sister journalism was crucial in solidifying a place for women in journalism and continues to benefit the news community today. Writers like Nellie Bly, Winifred Black, and Gertrude Gordon wrote to inform as well as make a change in their community, and through writing in the sob story style inspired others to want reform as well. They faced constant scrutiny and criticism, but did not let this deter them from making a name for themselves.

The original sob sisters used their perceived weaknesses as tools to further their careers and they writing style helped discover an all new type of reader. This new audience wanted more than just the facts, they wanted to connect with the characters in these stories and the sob sisters invoked emotion and sympathy that made them feel as if they were apart of the story. Sob sister journalism opened the doors for female journalists and has benefitted the journalism community as a whole. Their legacy continues today as we see more female journalists in positions of power and respected/treated as equals, and we even see the same writing style of trying to make audiences feel sympathy and connected today.

Works Cited:

1. Blakemore, Erin. The “Sob Sisters” Who Dared to Cover the Trial of the Century. 10 Nov. 2017, https://daily.jstor.org/the-sob-sisters-who-dared-to-cover-the-trial-of-the-century/  
2. Jobs, Lisa. “Sob Sister Journalism.” Editor & Publisher, vol. 128, no. 41, Duncan McIntosh Company, Inc, Oct. 1995, p. 22–. https://tcnj.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01COLLNJ_INST/12od3b9/cdi_proquest_reports_194291369 
3. Kamiya, Gary. “Much More than a ‘Sob Sister’ – San Francisco Reporter Was One of the Best of Her Time.” SFChronicle.com, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Aug. 2020, www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/Much-more-than-a-sob-sister-San-15504931.php 
4. Lutes, Jean. “Sob Sisterhood Revisited.” American Literary History, vol. 15, no. 3, Oxford University Press, Oct. 2003, pp. 504–32, doi:10.1093/ALH/AJG031. https://tcnj.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01COLLNJ_INST/12od3b9/cdi_proquest_journals_233372632 
5. Olson, Candi. “‘A Cosmic Shoulder for the Public to Lean Upon’: Gertrude Gordon and the Rise of Women Journalists.” Pennsylvania History, vol. 83, no. 4, Pennsylvania State University Press, Oct. 2016, pp. 470–501, doi:10.5325/pennhistory.83.4.0470. https://tcnj.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01COLLNJ_INST/12od3b9/cdi_crossref_primary_10_5325_pennhistory_83_4_0470
6. Saltzman, Joe. SOB SISTERS: THE IMAGE OF THE FEMALE JOURNALIST IN POPULAR CULTURE. 2003, www.ijpc.org/uploads/files/sobsessay.pdf