Journalism pioneer Nellie Bly featured in Women’s Press Club virtual program

She was a pioneering journalist who completed an around-the-world journey in 72 days and made a name for herself with other feats of derring-do.

And she’s from Western Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, Feb. 4, Nellie Bly will be the subject of a special virtual program, “Trailblazing Women in Journalism: The Legacy of Nellie Bly,” presented by the Senator John Heinz History Center and the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh. The program starts at 7 p.m.

Bly, who was raised near Apollo, wrote stories for the Pittsburgh Dispatch as a teenager.

She became famous in the 1880s as a reporter for the New York World, where she went undercover as a patient at the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum and inspired a new era of investigative journalism.

The program will examine Bly’s legacy. As part of the virtual program, the club will present an honorary membership to Bly, who will portrayed by actress Brittany Tague.

Honoring Women’s Press Club

It also will include a discussion about the impact of the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh with Candi Carter Olson, associate professor of media and society at Utah State University. Olson wrote her dissertation about the club while earning her Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh.

Also, a proclamation will be read, recognizing Feb. 4 as “Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh Day” in Allegheny County.

“It’s fitting to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Women’s Press Club of Pittsburgh with a virtual program honoring the great Nellie Bly, whose investigative reporting pioneered a new approach to documenting social problems and raising public awareness through journalism,” said Brady Smith, director of marketing & communications at the Heinz History Center.

Bly’s legendary status was confirmed last March when it was announced that a lifelike statue of her would be placed next to George Washington and Steelers legend Franco Harris at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Heinz History Center President and CEO Andy Masich said at the time that it was a fitting honor.

“Pittsburgher Nellie Bly was the world’s greatest traveler who made history as an innovative journalist and staunch advocate for women’s rights,” Masich said.

Born as Elizabeth Jane Cochran in present-day Burrell Township, Armstrong County, in 1864, she was given a pen name for her journalism work, a custom of the day. “Nellie Bly” came from the title of a popular song at the time, composed by Stephen Foster, himself a Pittsburgher.

America’s first investigative piece

In 1889, Bly earned international recognition for an around-the-world journey she completed in a world-record 72 days, six hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds after her departure on a steamship from New York. The inspiration for her adventure was Jules Verne’s widely read novel “Around the World in 80 Days,” featuring the character Phileas Fogg.

Bly chronicled her travels in a series of articles for the New York World and ended up writing a book of her own, “Around the World in Seventy-Two Days,” published in 1890.

She also wrote a book based on her time spent undercover as a patient at the asylum on Blackwell’s Island (known today as Roosevelt Island). “Ten Days in a Mad-House” told a true story of abused patients caught up in a dysfunctional mental health system.

Bly’s story was considered America’s first piece of investigative journalism. It brought with it significant changes in the public health system and its treatment of people with mental and behavioral illnesses.

Bly temporarily retired from journalism in 1895 but returned during World War I to become one of America’s first female war correspondents.

Admission for the “Trailblazing Women in Journalism: The Legacy of Nellie Bly” virtual program is free, but advance registration is required.

For more information go to heinzhistorycenter.org.