Watchdog Still Barks

Beth Knobel

Description

Perhaps no other function of a free press is as important as the watchdog role-its ability to monitor the work of the government. It is easier for politicians to get away with abusing power-wasting public funds and making poor decisions-if the press is not shining its light with what is termed "accountability reporting." This need has become especially clear in recent months, as the American press has come under virulent direct attack for carrying out its watchdog duties. Upending the traditional media narrative that watchdog accountability journalism is in a long, dismaying decline, The Watchdog Still Barks presents a study of how this most important form of journalism came of age in the digital era at American newspapers.Although the American newspaper industry contracted significantly during the 1990s and 2000s, Fordham professor and former CBS News producer Beth Knobel illustrates through empirical data how the amount of deep watchdog reporting on the newspapers' studied front pages generally increased over time despite shrinking circulations, low advertising revenue, and pressure to produce the kind of soft news that plays well on social media. Based on the first content analysis to focus specifically on accountability journalism nationally, The Watchdog Still Barks examines the front pages of nine newspapers located across the United States to paint a broad portrait of how public service journalism has changed since 1991 as the advent of the Internet transformed journalism. This portrait of the modern newspaper industry shows how papers of varying sizes and ownership structures around the country marshaled resources for accountability reporting despite significant financial and technological challenges.The Watchdog Still Barks includes original interviews with editors who explain why they are staking their papers' futures on the one thing that American newspapers still do better than any other segment of the media: watchdog and investigative reporting.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• News
• Media studies
• Central
• Reportage
• Media

Informations

• Publié par: Fordham University Press
• Date de parution: 27 mars 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780823279364
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Watchdog Still Barks

DONALD MCGANNON COMMUNICATION RESEARCH CENTER’S EVERETT C. PARKER BOOK SERIES

SERIES EDITOR: OLIVIER SYLVAIN

his series seeks to publis researc tat can inform te work of policy makers, policy advocates, scolars, and students as tey grapple wit a rapidly canging communications environment and te variety of policy issues arising witin it. he series employs a broadly defined notion of communications policy, in tat it considers not only scolarsip addressing specific policy issues and processes but also more broadly focused communications scolarsip tat as direct implications for policy making.

EDITORIAL BOARD:

Patricia Aufdereide, American University Ellen Goodman, Rutgers University Scool of Law, Camden Allen Hammond, Santa Clara University Scool of Law Robert B. Horwitz, University of California at San Diego Robert W. McCesney, University of Illinois Jorge Scement, Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Beth Knobel

The Watchdog Still Barks

H OW A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y R E P O RT I N G E V O LV E D

F O R T H E D I G I TA L A G E

F O R D H A M U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S•E W  N Y O R K •   

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Printed in te United States of America

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First edition

For te two remarkable men wose impact on my life as been invaluable:

Marvin Kalb and Mark Russell Sulman

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C O N T E N T S

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Acknowledgments Notes Index

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The Watchdog Still Barks