The watchdog still barks : how accountability reporting evolved for the digital age /

"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 ter...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Knobel, Beth (Author)
Published: Fordham University Press,
Publisher Address: New York, NY :
Publication Dates: 2018.
Literature type: Book
Language: English
Edition: First edition.
Series: Donald McGannon Communication Research Center's Everett C. Parker book series
Subjects:
Summary: "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."--Back cover.
Carrier Form: vii, 149 pages : tables ; 24 cm.
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 9780823279340
0823279340
9780823279333
0823279332
Index Number: PN4888
CLC: G219.712.9
Call Number: G219.712.9/K721