In addition to political liberalisation, competitive media markets, and degrees of social and political ferment, journalistic and entrepreneurial agency is a factor, fostered by the protection of journalists from physical harm, jail, harassment through lawsuits, and restrictions on access to information. With its turn to market liberalisation, China now has watchdog journalism, fuelled by profitability in the wake of government reductions in subsidies. The constitutional and legal protections for a free press as well as access to government-held information give journalists not only the right, but also the tools with which to monitor government.' It has taken root in the Balkans, for example, but not in Myanmar. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, United States (US).Īccording to this document, the conditions of democracy are necessary for an effective media role as watchdog: 'the institutional arrangements of democracy provide the most hospitable environment for watchdog reporting. The document is part of the publication of papers for a conference on “The Role of the News Media in the Governance Reform Agenda', which was co-sponsored by the World Bank Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP) and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the John F. It examines the desirability of the watchdog role, its impact, and its dark side, as well as its relationship to government, the market, and the profession of journalism. This 18-page document is about the renewed interest in “watchdogging” by the media caused by recent events and trends such as globalisation, the fall of authoritarian and socialist regimes, and the deregulation of the media worldwide.

Government watchdog groups