Watchdog Journalism

As Watergate, Irongate, Clintongate and all the other "gates" demonstrate, freedom of the press enables citizens to learn about abuses of power -- and then do something about the abuse at the ballot box if they feel so moved. We, along with the press, are part of the check-and-balance system to restrain government power and abuse of power.

The Watchdog Role (also known as Check on Governmental Power) is the fifth value of free expression out of the eight speech theories. This category, (known as watchdog journalism), "...informs the public about the goings-on in institutions and society, especially in circumstances where a significant portion of the public would demand changes in response" (Wikipedia). Out of all the eight speech theories, I believe that the watchdog role is the most important because it appears to be the most relevant in recent years. For the past five decades, there has been at least one presidential controversy that has happened. In the 1970s there was Watergate. In the 1980s there was Irangate. In the 1990s there was Clintongate. In the 2000s there was a lot of drama with George W. Bush. In the 2020s, there was the whistleblower scandal with Donald Trump.

Even with all the previous events, watchdog journalism has been mentioned by important figures in the past. Before he became President, Thomas Jefferson famously said: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to choose the latter". However, as a Chief Executive, Thomas Jefferson stated: "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper" (Hudson Jr, 2018).

Previous President Barack Obama stated: "Government without a tough and vibrant media is not an option for the United States of America". Currently, President Donald Trump has called some members of the press "enemies of the people" and purveyors of "fake news". While I do believe that some news sites have very misleading titles, not every single news source is "fake news". I personally believe that Trump criticizes anybody who disagrees with what he is doing. I mean just look at his Twitter! It's completely full of drama, insults, and boasting to boost his own ego. He mocked 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg because she was Time's Person of the Year. Stuff like this makes me wonder how Hillary Clinton would have fared as president instead of Trump.

Related Articles:
Watchdog Journalism (Wikipedia)
2018 State of First Amendment Survey Reveals People Believe in Media as Watchdog