What purpose does the watchdog role serve in my life?

As media evolves, the watchdog role has weakened.  The meaning behind the watchdog role has become to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."  As journalists, we are responsible for making sure the public is presented with the truth.  The watchdog role has influenced my journalism by pushing me to make sure truth is being told whether it affects the afflicted or the comfortable.  The watchdog principle should push journalists to protect the citizens at large. As a college student, eating junk food is much easier than making a home cooked meal.  Click HERE for the link to a news report on ABC News about the side effects of junk food.  This news report makes the viewer believe that junk food could possibly be equivalent to drugs. When I saw this, it made me fearful of the amount of junk food I eat.  I have now been trying to cut back on the amount of unhealthy food.  Although the watchdog role may not always be 100% accurate, it's sole purpose to watch out for the public.

"The watchdog is unlike any other role. For all that it is similar to all other journalism, it requires special skills, a special temperament, a special hunger.  It also requires a serious commitment of resources, a desire to cover serious concerns, and a press independent of any interest except that of the ultimate consumer of the news.  For all the lip service paid to it, the watchdog principle, like the others outlined here, faces more challenges today than ever.  Yet, as we will see next, the expanding nature of journalism as a public forum has spawned a new wave of journalism assertion, which makes the need for a vibrant and serious watchdog journalism all the more critical.  In this new century, the press must watchdog not only government but also an expanding nonprofit world, a corporate world, and the expanding public debate that new technology is creating" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).