" When
Norman Hapgood became editor of ''Collier's'' in 1903, he attracted many leading writers. In May 1906, he commissioned
Jack London to cover the
San Francisco earthquake, a report accompanied by 16 pages of pictures. Under Hapgood's guidance, ''Collier's'' began publishing the work of investigative journalists such as
Samuel Hopkins Adams,
Ray Stannard Baker,
C. P. Connolly and
Ida Tarbell. Hapgood's approach had great impact, resulting in such changes as the reform of the
child labor laws,
slum clearance and
women's suffrage. In April 1905, an article by
Upton Sinclair, "Is Chicago Meat Clean?", persuaded the Senate to pass the 1906
Meat Inspection Act. Starting October 7, 1905, Adams startled readers with "
The Great American Fraud", an 11-part ''Collier's'' series. Analyzing the contents of popular
patent medicines, Adams pointed out that the companies producing these medicines were making false claims about their products and some were health hazards. Hapgood launched the series with the following editorial: {{blockquote| In the present number we print the first article in "The Great American Fraud" series, which is to describe thoroughly the ways and methods, as well as the evils and dangers, of the patent medicine business. This article is but the opening gun of the campaign, and is largely introductory in character, but it will give the reader a good idea of what is to come when Mr. Adams gets down to peculiarities. The next article, to appear two weeks hence, will treat of "
Peruna and the 'Bracers, that is, of those concoctions which are advertised and sold as medicines, but which in reality are practically cocktails. Since these articles on patent medicine frauds were announced in ''Collier's'' some time ago, most of the makers of alcoholic and opiated medicines have been running to cover, and even the Government has been awakened to a sense of responsibility. A few weeks ago the Commissioner of Internal Revenue issued an order to his Collectors, ordering them to exact a special tax from the manufacturer of every compound composed of distilled spirits, "even though drugs have been added thereto". The list of "tonics", "blood purifiers" and "cures" that will come under this head has not yet been published by the Treasury Department, but it is bound to include a good many of the beverages which, up to the present time, have been soothing the consciences while stimulating the palates of the temperance folk. The next official move will doubtless be against the opium-sellers; but these have likewise taken fright, and several of the most notorious "consumption cures" no longer include opium or hasheesh in their concoction. "The Great American Fraud" had a powerful impact and led to the first
Pure Food and Drug Act (1906). The entire series was reprinted by the American Medical Association in a book,
The Great American Fraud, which sold 500,000 copies at 50 cents each. Hapgood had a huge influence on public opinion, and between 1909 and 1912, he succeeded in doubling the circulation of ''Collier's
from a half million to a million. When he moved on to Harper's Weekly in 1912, he was replaced as editor for the next couple years by Robert J. Collier, the son of the founder. Arthur H. Vandenberg, later to become a prominent Senator, had a brief stint as a Collier's
editor during the 1900s. H. C. Witwer was a war correspondent in France during World War I. Rob Wagner covered the film industry for Collier's'' during the 1920s. They reversed their position on prohibition in 1925. This was due to the difficulty in enforcing the referendum, and people's unwillingness to stay away from alcohol. The new law brought about bribing, thieving, corruption and other ills, which far exceeded their expectations. This new alignment gained favor with the public and helped to rebuild circulation. Writers such as
Martha Gellhorn and
Ernest Hemingway, who reported on the
Spanish Civil War, helped boost the circulation.
Winston Churchill, who wrote an account of the
First World War, was a regular contributor during the 1930s, but his series of articles ended in 1939 when he became a
minister in the
British government.
Carl Fick was a ''Collier's'' staff writer prior to World War II. ==Cartoonists==