The Plight of the Watchdog

Families across the country have tightened their purse strings during the economic recession of the past few years. Money doesn't grow on trees, as the saying goes, so when there's less of it coming home, changes in budget must be made. Just as with American families, major U.S. companies - including media corporations - have had to do what it takes to spend less (and make more). At first glance, that doesn't seem like such a bad thing. But consequences of cost cuts extend farther than you might think. The news industry, for example, has faced some challenges without the funds to investigate certain stories and pursue legal means to get evidence for such cases.
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A New York Times article on February 14th addressed the recent investigative efforts of a media conglomeration named Hearst. Because so many budget cuts have taken place, Hearst and other companies have had to work "smarter" to keep up investigative work, choosing stories that minimize costs in whatever ways possible. According to the article, "... people, lawyers and activists, have lamented the deep cuts in newsrooms across the industry, saying that they have for years relied on the work of investigative reporters to spotlight judicial injustices." A lot of smaller companies have had to put investigations on hold. Hearst forges the trail ahead, though, and continues its research and legal pursuits; they've even been able to increase the number of cases they're going after because of changes they've made, including the use of in-house lawyers. And it's a good thing, too. The news industry as a whole has long been a source of checks and balances with the government, fighting "legal battles to gain access to government information." When there's a controversial story or information is being withheld from the public, a news company will often take it court and demand that documents be released. The news medium can in that way act as a watchdog that protects citizens from the wiles of politics. But, because of the economic downturn, cost cuts have been hurting the news media; across the board, the number and quality of investigations has been decreasing. Thankfully, though, companies such as Hearst have been able to keep up their work in spite of it all.

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Overall, it's important to remember what a huge role the economy plays in the production of media. In the news industry, economic factors can determine how many and what kind of stories are being reported, as well as the range of story topics and ideologies being presented. Some stories are cheaper to report because they don't require as much investigation, and it's definitely cheaper to utilize a fewer number of journalists to get the job done. And, beyond cuts in their budget, news organizations are also going to target audiences that can help increase their revenue in order to bolster more money towards improving an already-decreasing budget. Authors Croteau and Hoynes point out one potentially-harmful consequence that appealing to a certain audience may bring: "Such cost-cutting measures are likely to make news coverage oriented more toward elites and government, with little focus on events or perspectives outside the official world."

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All of these decisions, based on the need for budget constraints, affect the news reports we receive on a daily basis. Bad economic conditions don't just determine what you can or can't buy - they also determine what is or isn't reported by the news media.