We discussed in class the fact that watchdog journalism is declining… or is it maybe the end of Watchdog Journalism as we know it?
Indeed, polarization is gaining in strength: there are news outlets that promote a liberal point of view on one hand and some that promote a conservative point of view on the other. Even though such polarization may have a negative effect on the American political life and may even hinder public debates – by promoting extreme opinions and by shutting out any idea that doesn’t belong to one’s political ideology – it may nonetheless generate a new kind of scrutiny involving one party consistently checking on the other. This new kind of watchdog journalism has been seen most recently with the “battle” between some reporters on Fox News – such as Sean Hannity – and the Obama administration. This would probably emerge as well on CNN and MSNBC if a Republican candidate were to win the upcoming presidential elections. Even though some of the ideas promoted will seem far-fetched to some, investigative journalism will take place, and the public will have access to a media that critically observes the government on a regular basis.
Such scrutiny could be a positive result of a polarized media, but on the other hand it could end with two isolated and hostile segments of the media. In this more negative scenario, the liberals and conservatives would be too busy checking up on each other to care about making even partially objective reports, and may not even have enough time or resources to devote to other watchdog or investigative stories that need reporting. For example, if the president and a majority of the rest of the government were liberal the conservative media could potentially hurt the public's respect for that administration and the people's faith in their government by being overly critical (and thereby increase polarization and tensions between people of different political ideologies). The situation in regard to media coverage of president Obama's health care and stimulus plans by conservative elements of the media is a contemporary example. Essentially, one's opinion of these plan's may be shaped by the liberal or conservative media factions. If people would actually take the time to listen to both sides and gather as much information from a diverse array of sources both liberal and conservative then in fact this new kind of watchdog journalism would be an evolution to be desired.
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