The Watchdog Principle

Part of the role of journalism is to be a watchdog on the government. This is one of the most important roles of journalism because unless the government watches the government, no one will keep the government in check. Along with being a watchdog, the media is expected to be a whistleblower when the government is doing something they should not be. Watchdog journalism is more of an activist role because journalists hold the government accountable for their actions.

According to the Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, watchdog journalism is an essential part of a healthy democracy because someone is holding the government accountable for their actions. ”Citizens need to know how well their government is handling its responsibilities in order to engage in the political process in a meaningful way,” said an article published by the Dewitt Wallace Center.

The watchdog principle can be misunderstood by people who believe the media is only out to “afflict the comfortable.” In some ways, some investigative reporting can be handled less responsibly and makes the media seem as if they are searching for sensationalism. Even if some investigative journalism is sensational, there is also really good investigative journalism that holds the government accountable, such as the Watergate Scandal. A story about bridges collapsing published in the Investigative Reporters and Editors website shows that the media holds local governments accountable for their promises. After a major bridge collapsed, the local governments promised to work more on the bridges in the community. A year later a story was published showing what bridges were still unsafe thus holding the local government accountable for their promises.

Additionally, many news organizations now have investigative teams focused specifically on investigating things in the community and reporting on it. This holds large corporations accountable as well as the government. KSL in Utah has an investigative team that investigates many issues such as legislature transfer fees, abandoned meth houses, and healthcare billing practices. Many of the investigative teams will spend weeks on a story researching the story to make sure that it is the best that it can possibly be and all the information is accurate.