According to steffens, what was the purpose of muckraking journalism? to encourage people to buy fewer newspapersto encourage people to become muckraking journalists themselvesto encourage people to rise up against their governmentto encourage people to take action against widespread corruption

to encourage people to take action against widespread corruption

Explanation:

The muckrakers were journalists that tried and exposes corrupt institutions and polititians in the early years of the 20th century, this was with the main purpose of making people read the stories about thoe polititians and institutions and to make them take action against those institutions and polititians in order to create a better country.