Watchdog journalism

Watchdog journalism investigates powerful people and institutions, exposing abuses, failures, or concealed information so the public can hold them accountable.

Investigative journalism: Journalism that systematically investigates matters of public interest, often uncovering information hidden from the public. Watchdog reporting uses sustained investigation to expose conduct that institutions would prefer to keep hidden.
Watergate scandal: A political scandal involving the Nixon administration's cover-up of a break-in at Democratic Party headquarters. The Washington Post's reporting helped uncover the cover-up and intensify demands for accountability.
Ida B. Wells: An African American journalist and activist who documented lynching and challenged racial violence in the United States. Her evidence-based reporting exposed violence that authorities and much of the press ignored.
Access journalism: Reporting that depends on maintaining access to influential sources, often through regular contact and favorable relationships. Reliance on access can discourage the adversarial scrutiny watchdog reporting requires.
Freedom of the press: The right of media to publish information and opinions without undue government interference. Watchdog reporting depends on protections that allow journalists to investigate and publish criticism.
Freedom of information laws: Laws that let people request access to records held by public authorities. Records requests can reveal official decisions, spending, and communications that watchdog investigations examine.
Pentagon Papers: A classified U.S. government study documenting decision-making in the Vietnam War, leaked and published in 1971. Publication challenged official claims about the war and tested the press's right to disclose secret records.
Nellie Bly: An American journalist known for undercover reporting, including her 1887 investigation of conditions in an asylum. Her firsthand investigation made institutional mistreatment visible to the public.
Public relations: The practice of managing communication between an organization and its publics to shape understanding and relationships. Public relations promotes an organization's interests; watchdog journalism independently tests its claims.
Whistleblowing: The disclosure of information about suspected wrongdoing within an organization, often by someone connected to it. Whistleblowers can supply evidence that enables watchdog investigations.

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