Fall 1998: Watchdog Journalism Introduction

In the following pages Nieman Reports continues its call for more watchdog reporting with an article by Murrey Marder cautioning that aggressive watchdog reporting does not require arrogance, an essay by Will Englund on the rewards of avoiding confrontation and a report from Jenny Lo on British journalists’ more combative style. These are followed by excerpts from the first Nieman Foundation Conference on Watchdog Journalism, May 2, 1998, at Harvard. At the conference participants suggested ideas that editors, reporters and news producers might consider as they fulfilled their responsibilities in four areas: national security, state and local government, economics and the nonprofit sector.