21st Century Muckrakers

Watchdog reporting resides at the core of what journalism does. Its roots dig deeply into the common ground uniting the muckrakers’ unearthing of public and private scandals a century ago with what investigative reporters are illuminating today. Though reporting and distribution of this news is very different in the digital era, unfortunately the human conditions requiring press scrutiny are not. These include patterns of corruption and malfeasance among those holding powerful positions of public and private trust. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor

21st Century Muckrakers: Who Are They? How Do They Do Their Work?: Introduction (3 comments)
By Melissa Ludtke; Watchdog Photo Gallery (1 comment)
By various contributors; Publisher, Editor and Reporter: The Investigative Formula (1 comment)
Looking back to the early 1900’s—to Ida Tarbell and S.S. McClure—offers valuable lessons for watchdog journalism in the 21st century.
By Steve Weinberg
Watchdogs in Washington: The Press and the Presidency: Silencing the Watchdog
‘President Bush was obsessed from the beginning of his administration with what he regarded as unjustified intrusions by the press.’
By Murrey Marder; Decision-Making: A Visual Journey Inside the Iraq War
‘… it remains the job of journalists to do more than report the “stuff” that happens or bring to the public the “first rough draft of history.”’
By Michael Kirk and Michael Wiser; Determining the Reliability of a Key CIA Source
After his newspaper story exposed the CIA’s reliance on a con man to determine if Iraq had WMD, a journalist dug deeper to unravel the mystery.
By Bob Drogin; Digital Records Reveal Corruption on Capitol Hill
By Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer; Classified Documents: Secrecy vs. Citizenship (1 comment)
In the digital age, there is an appetite ‘for direct access to source documents.’
By Steven Aftergood; Investigative Reporting About Secrecy (1 comment)
‘With some noteworthy exceptions, secrecy is rarely tackled head-on in the press.’
By Ted Gup
Nonprofit Approach: Seeking New Ways to Nurture the Capacity to Report
‘Without an independent news media, there is no credibly informed citizenry.’
By Charles Lewis; Selling the Iraq War: Unearthing False Advertising
By Charles Lewis; Universities and Investigative Journalism
By Charles Lewis; Going Online With Watchdog Journalism (3 comments)
‘… investigative reporting itself is also on the cusp of major transformation ….’
By Paul E. Steiger; New Sources of Funding, New Sources of Reporting
As nonprofit investigative models take shape, a journalist surveys emerging possibilities.
By Gilbert Cranberg; Watchdog Reporting: Exploring Its Myth
‘The myth of journalists doggedly uncovering all the facts is both important—and dangerous.’
By Florence Graves; Understanding the Value of Investigative Reporting (1 comment)
A nonprofit director feels frustrated by how difficult it is to find ‘adequate resources for independent investigative reporting.’
By Bill Buzenberg; When a Few Dollars Make a Big Difference
The Fund for Investigative Journalism enabled Seymour Hersh to report on the My Lai massacre; since then it has funded many other investigative stories.
By John Hyde; Fund for Investigative Journalism: Practices and Policies (3 comments)
By John Hyde; Seeking Support for Investigative Projects
Compiled by Rachel Schaff; Transparency Increases Credibility
A Web site and television show reveal how investigative journalists do their jobs.
By Mark Schapiro; Good Journalism Can Be Good Business (1 comment)
‘Let’s not pull the plug on for-profit journalism just yet.’
By Daniel Brogan
The Digital Transformation: Digital Journalism: Will It Work for Investigative Journalism?
The Nieman Watchdog Project’s editor explores what might be missing and what might be found as journalists turn to the Web to assist in reporting.
By Barry Sussman; Revealing the Disinformation Industry (1 comment)
By Barry Sussman; Reporting With the Tools of Social Science
‘We had put the social scientists on notice that journalists increasingly would be competitors in their field.’
By Stephen K. Doig; Building a Toolbox for Precision Journalism
By Stephen K. Doig; Reporting Is Only Part of the Investigative Story
‘In “Billions Over Baghdad,” we knew that simply reporting the costs of the Iraq War in mind-numbing billions wasn’t good enough.’
By Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele; When Video Is King
For local TV news, a difficulty will come in figuring out how to make watchdog reporting stand out in a digital world.
By Stuart Watson; Letter to the Editor
Submitted via e-mail by Vince Crunk; Watson Replies to Vince Crunk's Letter to the Editor
By Stuart Watson; Are Reporters Doomed?
Citizen journalism is here to stay. But in the rush to embrace new media we risk destroying the soul of traditional reporting.
An article by David Leigh reprinted from The Guardian

Newsroom Investigative Reporting: Changing Equations in Investigative Reporting
An editor proposes that journalists seek new partners in their mission of monitoring those in power.
By John Robinson; Instilling a Watchdog Culture in the Newsroom
‘Watchdog work is not just about projects; it’s about an approach to beat coverage that should be reflected in daily and longer-form work.’
By Lorie Hearn; Redefining a Newspaper’s Watchdog Approach
At The Oregonian, a new training program for reporters focuses on investigative skills needed by specific reporters for their daily beats.
By Les Zaitz and Brent Walth; A Vital Responsibility in Need of Support
‘… our industry, as a whole, cannot afford to abandon or cut back on investigative reporting, particularly on local and regional issues.’
By Rick Rodriguez; What Are Newspaper Journalists Investigating?
Compiled by Rachel Schaff and Brant Houston; Using Expertise From Outside the Newsroom
After ‘crowdsourcing’ worked to expand reporting, The News-Press reached out to nearby residents to form Team Watchdog.
By Betty Wells
Global Watchdogs: Beacons of Hope: Investigative Journalism Centers
Training and support for investigative journalists are increasing, and collaborative projects are happening worldwide.
By Brant Houston; Confronting Pressure From Donors
By Aung Zaw; Strengthening Global Investigative Journalism (1 comment)
By Brant Houston; Global Efforts at Investigative Reporting
A Brazilian journalist explores the benefits of collaboration and describes how and why watchdog reporting has changed in Latin America.
By Fernando Rodrigues; Squeezing Substance Into the ‘Sensational and Superficial’
Experiences in the Philippines taught a journalist that ‘the space for watchdog reporting must be created before new structures congeal.’
By Sheila S. Coronel; Circumventing Censorship With Technology
When news stations in Georgia refused to broadcast an investigative report about a high government official’s actions, the news story found a home on the Internet.
By Karl Idsvoog; The Investigative Journalist’s Digital Tool Kit
By Joe Murray; Democracy Can Complicate the Job of Journalists
When a decade of conflict ended, ‘what many Nepali journalists did not anticipate was that the worst had yet to come.’
By Dharma Adhikari
Words & Reflections: Secrets and the Press (1 comment)
‘Some secrets deserve to be kept, and even secrets uncovered might not merit being put in public print, on television or on the Internet.’
By Walter Pincus; Loud Noises, Sharp Elbows, and Impolitic Questions
A former editorial writer examines why the inquisitive, argumentative and forceful voice of journalists is quieter these days.
By Jim Boyd; Urgent Issues the Press Usually Ignore
A focus on smaller stories ‘too often fails to connect the proverbial dots and avoids too much digging into or interpreting the larger picture.’
By Danny Schechter; Intimidation and Convictions of Journalists
Journalist Robert Shelton told a 1950’s Senate subcommittee it was ‘engendering the fear that soon it will be looking into newsrooms all over the country.’
By Morton Mintz; Teaching Multimedia Journalism
Online resources—many of them free of charge—are used as the textbooks for training the next generation of journalists.
By Rebecca MacKinnon; Journalists as Storytellers
To tell stories in the digital age, reporters and editors and photojournalists need to acquire new skills—and do so with passion.
By Guillermo Franco; Valued Classroom Resources
By Rebecca MacKinnon; Journalism 2.0—And Then What?
A book introduces journalists to multimedia storytelling tools, and someone who has used it offers a guide to navigating its lessons.
By Christine Gorman
Curator's Corner: Recognizing Excellence
By Bob Giles
Nieman Notes: Journalists Portray a Complex, Self-Destructive Texas Politician
Two reporters encounter roadblocks in telling the flamboyant story of Bob Bullock.
By Dave McNeely and Jim Henderson

What are people saying?: Introduction (3 comments)
By Melissa Ludtke; Going Online With Watchdog Journalism (3 comments)
By Paul E. Steiger; Fund for Investigative Journalism: Practices and Policies (3 comments)
By John Hyde; Publisher, Editor and Reporter: The Investigative Formula (1 comment)
By Steve Weinberg; Classified Documents: Secrecy vs. Citizenship (1 comment)
By Steven Aftergood

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