...Exploring The Role Of Government Watchdogs In Canada And Its Influence On Society, Economics, And Politics Introduction In our increasingly neoliberalized and privatized society, the concept of governance and ethical conduct has been falling from the grips of public dialogue and discussion. Self-regulation has become a “mantra for both governments and private industry in the neoliberal era (Burch et al., 2013, p. 259). Given the onset of recent environmental disasters related to the oil and gas industry, the oligarchic telecommunications industry, and our crippling health care system, the role for government watchdogs becomes ever more so important. Thus for any type of change to occur, effective governance is important as it must also progress with any changes in society (Marin, 2009). For this to occur, this requires an ombudsman - also known as a watchdog, or adjudicator who has the “power to set standards and apply sanctions” (Burch et al., 2013, p. 259). The ombudsman or watchdog acts as a “moral compass and societal conscience,” making it even more relevant in today’s 21st century (Marin, 2009). However, in the event that the ombudsman/watchdog model is unable to help with any type of meaningful reform or provide justice, it starts to experience public criticism. Therefore, the focus of this paper will be to explore the role of government watchdogs in Canada and their decreasing influence on public and private sector institutions. In doing so, it will be understood...
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...Henry Brousseau AS Studies Option 1 America As the World’s Humanitarian Watchdog “Inmates who gave birth to babies were forced to kill them,” said one survivor of a concentration camp. “Inmates who were pregnant usually gave birth to dead babies, but there was one case when the baby was born alive.” She continued, “So we were watching this baby and we were so happy. But suddenly we heard footsteps. The security agent came and told us to put the baby in the water upside down,” she recounted. This behavior was usual. Prison guards would beat people with clubs, and “they would beat you, kick you on the thighs. You can’t stand, you can’t sleep. And you are hanged like this for three, four days.” Prisoners were forced to eat mice and other...
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...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...
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...The watchdog and government According to this document, the conditions of democracy are necessary for an effective media role as watchdog: "the institutional arrangements of democracy provide the most hospitable environment for watchdog reporting. The constitutional and legal protections for a free press as well as access to government-held information give journalists not only the right, but also the tools with which to monitor government." It has taken root in the Balkans, for example, but not in Myanmar. With its turn to market liberalisation, China now has watchdog journalism, fuelled by profitability in the wake of government reductions in subsidies. In addition to political liberalisation, competitive media markets, and degrees of social and political ferment, journalistic and entrepreneurial agency is a factor, fostered by the protection of journalists from physical harm, jail, harassment through lawsuits, and restrictions on access to information. The watchdog and the market: The contradictory nature of the market is described as: "On one hand, market liberalization and competition have encouraged the emergence of, and in many places, also sustained, investigative reporting. But at the same time, market pressures are a major obstacle to its continued viability.” Where donor funding is available, non-profits sometimes take on the watchdog role. "They fill a gap in media systems where market, ownership, or political pressures make investigative reporting by commercial...
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...policyholders that their medications will only be available through mail order. A Consumer Watchdog group is working with a patient, for privacy reasons he does not want his identity to be known, to sue Anthem Blue Cross for discrimination. I will discuss the issues and its significance on the most effected population of the policy change, the arguments or facts used to support a proposed solution with Anthem Blue Cross and the Consumer Watchdog group, and the ethical and legal issues reported for administration. I also will explain the managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues, and identify any proposed solutions. Anthem Blue Cross had informed its policyholders that their medications will be only be available by mail if they want them to be paid for. That means patients cannot directly communicate with their pharmacists on a personal basis and pick up their prescriptions at their discretion. HIV/AIDS patients believe that their relationship with their pharmacist is critical to their health care, especially in San Francisco where there are some of the most knowledgeable pharmacists on HIV/AIDS in the whole country. That information had some in the HIV/AIDS community unquestionably upset. A patient, Jon Doe for privacy reasons is working with a Consumer Watchdog group to sue Anthem Blue Cross because he says the new rules are discriminatory and illegal. The Consumer Watchdog group believes this is a classic case of Anthem Blue Cross treating...
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...with just one or two compromised nodes. To address this problem, the IDS should be added to enhance the security level of MANETs. If MANETs can detect the attackers as soon as they enter the network to completely eliminate the potential damages caused by compromised nodes at the first time. IDS is usually act as the second layer in MANETs. a.Watchdog The watchdog that aims to improve the throughput of network with the presence of malicious nodes [10]. Watchdog serves as IDS for MANETs. It is responsible for detecting malicious...
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...Chapter 5 Corruption and the watchdog role of the news media Sheila Coronel The notion of the press as watchdog is more than 200 years old. Yet the idea of vigilant media monitoring government and exposing its excesses has gained new traction in many parts of the world. Globalization, the fall of authoritarian and socialist regimes, and the deregulation of the media worldwide have fuelled a renewed interest in ––as well as a surge in efforts by various groups to support–– “watchdogging” by the media. Since the late 17th Century, classical liberal theorists had argued that publicity and openness provide the best protection from the excesses of power. The idea of the press as Fourth Estate, as an institution that exists primarily as a check on those in public office, was based on the premise that powerful states had to be prevented from overstepping their bounds. The press working independently of government, even as its freedoms were guaranteed by the state, was supposed to help ensure that this was so. The 1980s and 1990s saw the revival of this centuries‐old notion and its application especially to “transition societies” then emerging from the ruins of socialist and authoritarian regimes. It had resonance among citizens facing pervasive corruption, weak rule of law, and predatory or incompetent governments unable to deliver basic services. Today even in countries ...
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...tasks which share its resources with nodes. B. Target Nodes Choose the target node from the intermediate nodes. Then the number of connections to establish between each pair of target node and established between each and every nodes for network communication. From the source node to the destination node and intermediates node must have connection between source nodes after communicate between combinations of multi node each and every node must be link to each other. After to choose the neighbour nodes and communicate with each other and also set the priority queue in the network communications. In multipath data transmission, send the data from source node that means which type of file size and file extension. C. Watchdog Optimization Techniques...
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...newsrooms never seem to hesitate when controversy rears is ugly head. In theory, it is absolutely vital for the mass media to keep an eye on the way in which governments administer and develop education, but it has to be said that in this day and age of a battle for survival within the mass media industry, the watchdog does tend to become somewhat rabid at times. Like most businesses the mass media often takes a line of least resistance when problems occur and a first step always seems to blame the trades union movements. In South Africa the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) inevitably faces tremendous criticism from the mass media when its members protest the enormous challenges and deprivations they face in the classrooms. Many of those challenges having very little to do with actual teaching. Regrettably, the relationship between the mass media and education involves a lot of indulgence in blame-games and reaction by both sides to superficial symptoms. There is undeniably an urgent need for the education authorities and the mass media to join together in improving the lot of our youngsters and young adults. The media cannot just be a watchdog and nothing else and the national and provincial education departments cannot work in isolation or out of the public eye. It is no good the mass media simply...
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...At War with the Paparazzi Benjamin Biwer 4320316 JOUR3745 (Section 001) “I can’t go to war with paparazzi” (Craig). This statement, made by Daniel Craig, unintentionally (and unknowingly) references the power struggle between celebrity spin machines and the paparazzi. In his piece, “On the Function of the United States Paparazzi: Mosquito Swarm or Watchdogs of Celebrity Image, Control, and Power”, Andrew Mendelson analyzes the function of paparazzi and the role these popular culture fixtures have on society and celebrity. Specifically, Mendelson examines the “war” between highly controlled celebrity images and candid, raw offerings provided by the paparazzi. While an argument can, and should, be made regarding privacy issues, pictures obtained by paparazzi provide a necessary checks-and-balances system to the cunning world of celebrity and entertainment (Mendelson). To this end, Mendelson’s argument that journalists (i.e. the paparazzi) should “look more deeply” into celebrities and popular culture events is completely valid. This paper will provide arguments that support Mendelson’s view of the paparazzi – first, by exploring the issues presented by celebrity-controlled personas; and second, by reinforcing the need for fact checking, as exists in political and professional realms. Mendelson provides a thought-provoking piece that challenges conventional wisdom on the paparazzi (i.e. privacy and boundary issues). The most poignant of his arguments describes the tactics the...
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...through television rather than newspapers. Just as the US saw a transition from print to visual or news broadcasting, journalists presently are now seeing a transition from visual to web-based news. Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook as well as blogs are slowly becoming the new medium of communication or web-based news. Similar to the print to visual news transition, the transition from visual to web-based news is also having its fair share of rough patches. Many people in the journalistic field argue that this new medium of communication lacks correct facts and has an opinionated view of the truth. However, in today’s society an accredited source of information is an idea that cannot be disproven. Through constant updates, being a watchdog, and becoming a catalyst of journalism, these ideas will help aid web-based journalism become an accredited source of news. Constantly updating the public with reliable information makes web-based news an accredited voice of information (Andrews 1). In the early hours of September 11, 2001, blogs became the best available source of eyewitness reporting,” according to Paul Andrews, author of Is Blogging Journalism (Andrews 1). Without a constant update on the situation, mainstream news and authorities would have never been able to get eye-witness accounts. Call it participatory journalism, says J.D. Lasica, the author of Blogs and Journalism Need Each Other (Lasica 1). Citizens provide the information that will ultimately serve to inform...
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...used classic monopolistic tactics to largely clear the field of competitors and then changed its business model to maximize its profits by charging merchants for placement,” said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project Director. “Merchants then charge consumers more for the product to cover their payment to Google.”In their studies they compared prices on the same item on 3 competing shopping engines. These 3 were ; Shopzilla, Pricegrabber, and Nextag. Checking prices for 14 items this month, Consumer Watchdog found Google listings as much as 67 percent higher. Some suggested that Google’s business tactics enabled by its monopoly position only damage competing services. Consumer Watchdog said Google hurts consumers in two ways. “Universal Search populates the top of the results page mainly with results from Google’s own services. This moves the Internet giant closer to an ecosystem where real consumer choice no longer exists. Second, as the Consumer Watchdog test shows, consumers are paying higher prices because of Google’s behavior.” At the end the conclusion was ““Google has developed a substantial conflict of interest. It no longer has an incentive to steer users to other sites, but rather to its own services. It is becoming even more effective at this and has a greater incentive to engage in...
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...a node that is not a selfish node. From the receiver point of view a perfect malicious node will always provide wrong information. In this case, the malicious node, in order to send wrong information must know the state of each node. • AODV sends request to update the routing path at regular intervals. Hence, at regular intervals, source node is going to have multiple paths each with its trust value from which one with the maximum trust is selected it can transmit this information to it so, from that moment on, both nodes store information about this positive (or negative) detections. Therefore, a node can become aware about selfish nodes directly (using its watchdog) or indirectly, through the collaborative trans-mission of information that is provided by other nodes. • A node detects a selfish node using its watchdog, it is marked as a positive, and if it is detected as a non selfish node, it is marked as a negative. The method to handle RREP packet is changed to update the route entry when new path is received with greater trust than current trust value to send RREQ packet to destination every time thereby disabling the mechanism to initiate RREP packet at intermediate nodes. Behavior of malicious nodes is modeled from the receiver perspective, which is based on the probability of receiving wrong information about a given node when a contact with a malicious node occurs (that is, it receives a Negative about the selfish node and a Positive about the other nodes). This behavior...
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...Executive Summary This report provides an analysis on how ethical conflicts arise in the actuarial profession. Through extensive research we uncover many conflicts of interest and ethical dilemmas that actuaries can face during their everyday work and careers. In particular we look at how genetic factors and rating criterion create conflict. We look at ethical conflict with respect to testimony, pension and reserve actuaries, and also how external watchdogs play a role in auditing actuaries’ decisions. We found that actuaries must always be alert and prepared to deal with these ethical conflicts. They must be aware that their actions can have an impact on the financial future of a company, the insurance rates of an individual, or otherwise could result in a problem for themselves. They must also be aware that there are external watchdogs in place to make sure they are not forging numbers but are instead making informed and accurate decisions. We recommend that students who intend to pursue actuarial studies take a course called Introduction to Actuarial Practice (MTHEL 131). We also recommend that the faculty should modify this course to put more weight on professionalism and ethics to emphasise the importance of the subject. This will educate students so they can make informed and ethically sound decisions in their future careers. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....…....…1 2.0 Methods…………………………………………………………………......…………....……3 3...
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...genetic tests before the public is ready. 'That's where the public has concerns,' she said. 'Insurance, employment, ways in which people with a certain genetic trait might be discriminated against.' According to the Financial Times, she concluded that the Human Genetics Commission (HGC) was unlikely to recommend that such a system be introduced. Baroness Kennedy's comments quickly became the subject of news stories in other newspapers. The Observer newspaper ran the story under the title 'Fears over genetic profiles for all'. The article opened 'Plans for every baby to be genetically screened at birth came under fierce attack yesterday from the Government's advisory watchdog on the new science'. And so, a relatively anodyne comment was represented as a clash of ideas between the government and its own watchdog. Another consequence of the flurry of excitement to Baroness Kennedy's comments is that what started off as a possible future service has now become, in the public imagination, a reality. Readers of the news services which ran the story could be forgiven for thinking that genetic profiling of newborn babies is about to arrive in maternity units across the country. However, the white paper's proposal on this issue is actually rather cautious. It states the need for public debate on the issue and, should newborn screening go ahead, for 'statutory safeguards' to protect individuals' genetic...
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