A Critical Review of Corruption and the Watchdog Role of the News Media by Sheila Coronel

Introduction
In Corruption and the Watchdog Role of the News Media, Sheila Coronel presents the role of media as a watchdog to keep the government in check. Coronel also examines the actual situation of the “watchdogging” by the media including its vulnerabilities to certain factors such as globalization, deregulation, economic impact, culture and many more. She presents the scenario in a form of research in which she shares her arguments and analysis as a veteran investigative journalist. This paper will review Coronel’s research as well as her primary arguments including her policy recommendations, and will evaluate the quality of Coronel’s research, writing, and focus.
Summary
Coronel begins his paper by reviewing the general premise of media as a watchdog of the society in monitoring government and exposing its excesses. She presents evidences on the retraction of this role around the world thanks to “globalization, the fall of authoritarian and socialist regimes, and the deregulation of the media worldwide.”
To ponder on the watchdog role of media, Coronel asks the following important questions:
Is the press acting as watchdog always desirable?
In countries where the media are hobbled by draconian state restrictions or driven largely by the imperatives of profit-obsessed markets, is such a role even possible?
What enabling conditions make a watchdog press effective?
What impact has media monitoring had in ensuring government accountability?
Is a watchdog press the key to governance reform, or is it civil society, responsive government institutions, or an elite push for reform?
Can the press actually make a difference, especially in societies that seem resistant to, or incapable, of change?
The above questions serve as Coronel’s frame of