Monitor Power and Offer Voice to the Voiceless

“Journalists must serve as an independent monitor of power” is one of the elements of journalism, and that notion is still practiced by many contemporary journalists. To monitor what government leaders or powerful business elites are doing is essential for citizens to be free and self-governing. Throughout journalism history, many brave journalists seek to expose and uncover corruption of businesses and government to public. As citizens are informed about these abused powers, they will demand government to reform.
Original investigative reporting, interpretative investigative reporting, and reporting on investigations are the main forms of today’s practice of investigative journalism. These forms of journalism have accurately reported and documented what government and business are doing. However, I think the citizen journalism will be the dominant way to monitor government because many citizens frequent use the Internet to read the news among themselves through blogs and other internet forums.