Watchdog Journalism Is An Ideal Impossible - 1812 Words

TOPIC 3: MANY JOURNALISTS BELIEVE THAT THEIR ROLE IS TO HOLD POWERFUL SOCIAL ACTORS TO ACCOUNT AND TO ACT AS A WATCHDOG AGAINST THE ABUSE POWER. IS THIS REALISTIC? Although many journalists consider as a major duty to denounce the violation of the citizens’ rights by acting like watchdogs, more and more authors think watchdog journalism is an ideal impossible to reach, worst, a meaningless concept concealing trade rules by elites and capitalism. Watchdog journalism is defined as a â€Å"form of journalism that seeks to hold public institutions accountable by tracking and investigating their activities. Seen as the opposite to lapdog journalism, watchdog journalism draws from aspirations that journalism acts as a surrogate for the public in that it has a critical role to play in keeping the public sphere vibrant and the body politic healthy. Keeping a close watch on political, economic and other public institutions is an important way to achieve those ideals.† (Keywords in News and Journalism Studies, Barbie Zelizer and Stuart Allan, 2010, UK, p170). This is embodied in the traditional idea of a ‘fourth estate’, historically accredited to Edmund Burke and which make reference to the three traditional powers we can find in a democracy and describe by Montesquieu in The Spirit of the Laws (1748): the executive power, the legislative power and the judiciary power. Like this, the Medias, and more particularly journalists would be the fourth estate of the democracy, aShow MoreRelated The Importance Of The Press Essays2570 Words   |  11 Pagestoleration and freedom of the press.quot;2 It was the deprivation of these principles, by the monarchical leaders, which led to discontent among the people of France. Above all, liberalism stresses the primacy of individual rights. One can see that these ideals were at the forefront of French revolutionary thought by examining the Declaration of rights, which in 1789 stated that, quot;All men are equal by nature,quot; and brought republican concepts such as liberty, equality and fraternity into awarenessRead MoreEssay about The Media During the Tiananmen Square Protests2628 Words   |  11 Pages When it comes to domestic issues, Chinese journalism has traditionally shown a restraint bordering on toadyism. The media faithfully report whatever happen to be the current government line, but the Communist Party has charted a zigzag course through the years, and its direction still continues to change.† (72) Unlike many Western forms of media, government-based media is used still as propaganda for the government, instead of watchdogs examining the government. By providing propagandaRead MoreImpact Of Television On The Western Europe2221 Words   |  9 Pagespeople who gained the freedom of words to express their thoughts. Televisions were involved in politics in the Post-Communist Czech Republic. Before, and during the Communism era, television stations were strictly controlled by the government. It was impossible for those people who were considered to dissent and fight against the Communism ideology to show up in the public media. However, in November of 1989, Czechoslovakia’s Communist regime had come to its end; the staffs working for televisions wereRead MoreAnti Corruption Watchdog Transparency International Ranks The National Perception Of Corruption2507 Words   |  11 Pagesaid and investment. Corruption is rampant in India, as it has taken a prevalent role of Indian politics and bureaucracy. Corruption in India has been one of the most interesting and discussed problems in modern political history. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International ranks the national perception of corruption in India to be 85th in the world out of 175 positions, indicating that India’s governance is corrupt and isn’t accountable to its citizens. There is a plethora of factors encouragingRead MoreThesis on Print Media16077 Words   |  65 Pagesexperience the same effects. Muccigrosso’s findings provide the potential for legislators to be influenced by other forms of media, including newspapers. Leff, Protess and Brooks found this to be true in their third analysis of how investigative journalism influenced the public and policymakers’ perception of police officers (Leff, Protess and Brooks 301). While their study restricted media influence to a specific topic—police brutality—it serves as a useful reference for this study. It also providesRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 PagesAhmadinejad. †¢ When the media has so many other motives, it can hardly be relied on to provide reliable information. The individual, on the other hand, has less hidden agendas. Mainstream GOOD: Use professional journalists (compared to citizen journalism) – content quality †¢ Citizen journalist â€Å"on-the ground† reports vs. professional whose sole purpose is to uncover each and every piece of information related to the news article they are writing †¢ Wider and deeper coverage †¢ Connections