Below is an element-by-element overview of the entire "Citizen Watchdogs" lesson. To the left of longer elements, you will find short summaries of those elements. In each assessment element, a yellow highlight indicates a correct answer. Whenever relevant, we also include teacher tipsđź’ˇand definitions of important words from NLP's word wall đź’¬*.*
Citizen Watchdogs
Journalists rely on everyday people to let them know when important events are occurring that should be covered.
This lesson focuses on the ways that ordinary people can play the watchdog role, helping to hold people in power accountable.
Widespread availability of video cameras, the internet and social media have helped empower people to play a watchdog role.
"Hi, I’m Tamerra Griffin, reporter at BuzzFeed News where I cover breaking news. I’m a professional journalist. That means I’m trained to identify newsworthy subjects, collect information about them, verify that information, then accurately and fairly report it to the public. But I often rely on everyday people to alert me to important events that I might not otherwise be aware of. After all, I can’t be everywhere at once and so I frequently count on members of the public to help me figure out where and when something is happening that I should be covering. I also count on the information that eyewitnesses gather during breaking news events, such as photos and video shot by individuals on the scene or even eyewitness accounts. So, while a big part of what I do involves playing a watchdog role on behalf of the public, I don’t do this by myself.
In this lesson, we’ll consider some of the ways that ordinary citizens can play the watchdog role as well, helping to hold people in power and even me or other members of the news media accountable. We’ll also consider these examples of citizen watchdogs: A Los Angeles resident catches sight of the brutal beating of a black man by police officers, records it on his camcorder, and then shares the recording with a local TV station. A tobacco industry executive goes public with information that his company deliberately enhanced the effects of nicotine in its tobacco products to keep Americans hooked on cigarettes. Egyptian youth bypass the state-run media and use Facebook to share news, organize political protests, and spark a revolution that spreads throughout the Middle East. A young woman uses Facebook to live stream the death of her boyfriend in real time after he is shot by a police officer during a routine traffic stop.
Examples of citizen watchdogs go back as far as there have been individuals to witness events and help bring them to the public’s attention. But, the widespread availability of video cameras, especially cell phone cameras, the Internet and social media have empowered more people than ever to play a watchdog role in more ways than ever. That means you – yes, you – also have the power to be a citizen watchdog, drawing attention to wrongdoing or injustice. As we take a look at the examples I mentioned, we’ll study how citizen watchdogs have helped document and bring public attention to important events. And along the way, we’ll also consider the challenges and opportunities of this evolving form of civic engagement."
<aside> 💬 Word wall: Watchdog role is the function played by any person or organization that monitors or documents the actions of others to discover deceitful, corrupt or unlawful activity. This role is often played by news organizations — for example, as they monitor and report on government offices and meetings or corporate activity — but citizens can also act as watchdogs by documenting unjust or illegal practices.
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<aside> đź’¬ Word wall: Eyewitness source is someone who was present when an event happened and gives a firsthand account. While eyewitness sources can be important, they often give journalists partial or conflicting stories.
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<aside> 💬 Word wall: Media is the plural form of the word “medium,” which is anything that acts as a channel for information. “Media” refers to anything that can convey information from one person or place to another. Though people often use the term “the media” to refer to mass media organizations collectively, it does not refer to a single coherent entity.
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<aside> đź’¬ Word wall: Accountability is responsibility for some activity, statement or action. In journalism, this includes being responsible for any errors that are made in reporting. Consumers should expect accountable news organizations to acknowledge and correct errors, and sometimes explain how they happened.
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Which of the initial four examples Tamerra mentioned do you find most interesting?