Assignment #9: Watchdog Journalism

In last week's class, we learned about watchdog journalism.  In my opinion, one of journalism's main purposes is to be a watchdog.  I feel that without journalism, the government would be free to do whatever it wanted and would not be held accountable for its actions.  One of the main points of our reading is that journalism must serve as an independent monitor of power.  Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black said, "The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.  Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government."  I couldn't agree more with Justice Black.  Journalists need to act independently and need to expose any wrongdoing by the government.  In fact, the freedom of the press that allows journalists to serve a watchdog role here in America is what gives power to the people.  Orlando Sentinel editor Charlotte Hall said, "Watchdog journalism is a state of mind for the whole newspaper: Journalism that gives power to the people."  I agree with Hall.  Watchdog journalism needs to be a state of mind for a whole newspaper or news organization.  It should be the main purpose of journalism, not a secondary one.

Watchdog journalism requires a lot of investigative journalism.  There are three types of investigative journalism that our text talked about:

1. Original Investigative Reporting - involves reporters themselves uncovering and documenting activities that are unknown to the public

2. Interpretative Investigative Reporting - involves bringing together information in a new and more complete context that offers deeper public understanding

3. Reporting on Investigations - involves reporting on the developments of  investigations already underway

Bob Woodward of the Washington Post shares some of his insights about investigative journalism in this video.  He shares a story (that was shared in our class presentation as well) of his experiences that highlights the importance of verification of facts especially in investigative reporting.

I also found an article that discusses watchdog journalism on the Nieman Reports website.  The author of the article, Murrey Marder, makes an interesting point.  He says that a journalist should not be listening to what is going on in an interview.  Instead, a journalist needs to be thinking about if an interviewee is answering the questions asked and thinking about whether or not more questions should be asked.  Marder says that a journalist should act as a "pseudo-surrogate for the public".  A journalist is in fact giving a voice to the public so he or she must always try to ask the same questions the public would.

Today, however, we see the watchdog role of journalists being weakened.  Recent cutbacks in the news industry have hurt watchdog journalism.  Watchdog journalism is not cheap.  It requires a lot of hard work and investigation which can cost quite a bit.  With cutbacks, news industries may try to take shortcuts in investigative journalism or just do less of it altogether.  However, in an article I found, the author, Butch Ward, explains that watchdog journalism is not only an important journalistic principle, but also a long-term business strategy.  He says that even in an age where the newspaper business faces many challenges, watchdog journalism should remain a top priority because it will make the newspaper essential in the life of the community.

With the advancing world of technology, it is becoming increasingly more possible for everyone to do investigative journalism.  Also, watchdog journalism is becoming more important not just in government but also in the nonprofit and corporate worlds.