Unleashing the Watchdogs
(A program primarily for editors, but reporters welcome.)
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A crucial duty of a journalist is to serve the public interest by acting as a watchdog on government and business. This duty has become all the more important at a time when governments are restricting the flow of information. At such times, broadcast and print journalists must redouble their efforts to use freedom-of-information laws to obtain public documents and help the public appreciate the value of such laws.

IRE and the American Society of Newspaper Editors are presenting a series of regional seminars for midlevel editors on how to conceive of, manage and produce watchdog journalism on a daily, beat and long-term basis.

The Unleashing the Watchdogs workshops will feature top editors and trainers who have years of experience in producing investigative and enterprise work, especially from beats. The workshops also will cover the guiding of reporters in the effective use of the Internet, open records laws, computer-assisted reporting and anonymous sources.

Read more about this exciting program in The American Editor (PDF).