Watchdog, Attack Dog, or Lapdog?
This issue on Watchdog Journalism originated with a call by Murrey Marder, the retired Washington Post Diplomatic Correspondent, for a return to more aggressive, but responsible, reporting. The package begins with two articles on the media's handling of the accusations that President Clinton had an improper sexual relationship with Monica S. Lewinsky. Excerpts from a seminar by Seymour Hersh, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, follow. Then we offer position papers on the status of watchdog journalism in four areas—the economic sector, state and local government, national security and nonprofit organizations.
Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney responds to questions front the media while taking part in a press conference held by U.S. and Saudi Arabian officials during Operation Desert Storm. Official U.S. Navy photo.The third paper on watchdog journalism deals with national security. The Pentagon uses slicker methods but the goal of controlling the press is the same as the outright censorship used by the Japanese military during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05.
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