Leckie was a journalist who first came to prominence in Chicago, covering the imprisonment of Emma Goldman.[3] She was one of the first women reporters with the City News Bureau of Chicago,[4] and wrote about the muckraking work of Ella Reeve Bloor,[5] the hazards of city life for young women,[6] and the murder of Avis Linnell,[7] among other news topics of the day. She also regularly covered fashion,[8] and the New York stage.[9]
Leckie was a reporter for the Chicago Chronicle, the Chicago American, and the New York Evening Journal. She held editorial positions on the magazines The Delineator (1907–1908), Woman's Magazine (1908–1912) and The Housekeeper (1913).[10][11]
Leckie expanded into the field of publicity and consulting, opening her own public relations agency in New York City. One of her first prominent clients was Rosika Schwimmer, whose 1914 speaking tour she managed. In 1915–16, Leckie served as press agent for the Henry Ford Peace Expedition, working closely with Louis P. Lochner.[12] The following year, she was recruited as an editor for the United States Food Administration's daily news service.[13][14]
Leckie was a member of Heterodoxy, a feminist debating group based in Greenwich Village;[15] she was also a member of the Woman's Political Union, the Chicago Political Equality League, and the Woman's Press Association.[16]
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