Describe the media's traditional watchdog role. Why did the Framers think this role is important ...

(Ans. #1)

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Describe watchdog journalism as the idea that the media have an obligation to guard the public interest against abuses of power and corruption by the government.
2. Note that the Framers agreed that a free press was necessary to monitor government and ensure the continuation of a democratic society and that 58 percent of Americans continue to believe that press scrutiny keeps political leaders from wrongdoing.

(Ans. #2)

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Specify that infotainment is the blending of political news and entertainment. It is soft news coverage that is often more accessible to the public.
2. Provide examples such as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and The View.

(Ans. #3)

Answer: An ideal response will:
1. Define muckraking as a form of journalism popular in the 1920s that was devoted to exposing misconduct by government, politicians, and corporations. Explain that it went out of fashion because newspapers figured out that it was not good business to treat their advertisers and sources so harshly.
2. Assess whether muckraking continues to this day. While journalists are often investigative, are they muckrakers?