The Watchdog Joins the Fray

Abstract

In the late 1990s, journalists discovered an effective vehicle to highlight systemic failures of government transparency: Statewide records audits. However, these projects functioned as more than stand-alone investigative reports. Using research on investigative journalism and interest-group theory as a backdrop, this monograph considers journalists and press groups that crossed into the political realm and became overt political actors in the attempt to improve access to information. It also shows how that narrative arc spans decades, with journalistic activism that runs from the post-World War II free-press crusade to the statewide records audits.