The role of the press to be a 'watchdog' and monitor a government's actions has been one of the fundamental components of a democratic society. The general issues, topics, or scandals that watchdog journalists cover are political corruption and any wrongdoing of people in power such as government officials or corporation executives. Due to watchdog journalism's unique features, it also often works as the fourth estate. Watchdog journalists are different from propagandist journalists in that they report from an independent, nongovernmental perspective. This requires maintaining a certain professional distance from people in power. Watchdog journalists gather information about the actions of people in power and inform the public in order to hold elected officials to account. 2.2 The role of Washington Post as watchdog journalism in the case of Watergate scandal.2.1 Washington Post's coverage of Watergate scandal.1.4 Indicators of detached orientation and operationalization.1.2 Predictors of watchdog role performance.1.1 Three dimensions of operationalization.

Watchdog meaning