Watchdog Journalism in South America

Rating:
Summary: Engaging review
Review: - (From Planeta.com Journal) Watchdog Journalism in South America is one of those rare books that places journalistic coverage of the region into perspective. Argentine author Silvio Waisbord argues that critical reporting in South America can be better understood as "watchdog journalism" than as "investigative reporting" and that it is going mainstream.

"Watchdog journalism is no longer the province of alternative publications but has been incorporated by leading news organizations," Waisbord writes.

The book, published by Columbia University Press, is organized in three sections. The first deals with the factors behind the current surge in watchdog journalism. Part two looks at how journalistic principles drive the interest of some news media in publishing exposes and how they shape the "thematic agenda of contemporary muckraking." Finally, Waisbord examines the consequences of muckraking for the quality of contemporary South American democracies."

Such an ambitious undertaking could have faltered, but the author weaves together the anecdotal experiences and analysis of news stories from throughout the region. This provides a unique and valuable perspective of what is taking place within the region.