journalistic practice and why media outfits encourage lapdog journalism

📄 Project Abstract

The watchdog ideally reflects the longestablished liberal conception of the news media as the fourth estate of the realm (Norris, 2007). Central to this journalistic paradigm is the belief that journalists should carry out an investigative and watchdog role on behalf of the public (Waisbord, 2000), which finds expression in an objective, factual, and critical reporting style. Some previous studies identified the watchdog role model as the most popular among journalists but recent research suggests that the watchdog role for journalism is most pervasive in AngloAmerican democracies, where a long tradition of liberalism has encouraged scepticism towards the potential abuse of power (Norris, 2012.p.12). Watchdog journalism has been subject to considerable skepticism for its potential harm to the public. Critics argue that journalism has become indiscriminately critical and corrosively cynical of officials and candidates (Clayman et al., 2007, p. 24). This can lead to overemphasized sensat...