"What is a Government Watchdog?"

"What is a Government Watchdog?"

September 25, 2021

In a nutshell, it's someone who watches the government to make sure it acts appropriately. Watchdogs point out actual and potential problems so the public as a whole can demand accountability and have a clean, honest government that serves them better.

Fundamentally, the PEOPLE are supposed to serve as the ultimate check and balance in every level of government. However, the size and complexity of all governments are always increasing. It helps to have people who can sift through government records to find, distill, and present information for everyone else, so they know what the government is really doing and often trying to hide.

THAT's where government watchdogs come in.

While journalists provide a lot of that information and can function as effective watchdogs, most journalists work for media outlets that are businesses. As businesses, they have to consider profits to some degree, either from subscriptions or advertising. Watchdog groups are generally non-profit, which gives them more freedom to focus on whatever they consider important for people to know.

There are multiple watchdog organizations that follow federal government. Fewer follow state governments. Very few follow local governments. The ones that do generally concentrate on large cities. Chicago tends to receive most of the focus.

I am constantly on the lookout for other people who do what I do, but haven't yet met anyone like me in this area. There should be at least someone like me in every city and town in the country.

It's definitely an underserved niche, and that's part of why I like it.