EARLY BIRD TICKETS - Online Investigative Journalism Week (IJ WEEK)
July 31, 2026 • 23:59
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Topic

Data Journalism

675 posts

Data Journalism Methodology

The Scarecrow and the Watchdog

Sounds like the title of a cheesy TV series; but this is a riff off the Tow Center at Columbia University’s excellent report on Post-Industrial Journalism.Scarecrow
In it, the authors talk about the need for both steady, incremental, regular coverage of issues – “scarecrow”‘ journalism that discourages wrongdoing via the potential threat of exposure – as well for more episodic, deeper, investigative reporting that uncovers actual wrongdoing – “watchdog” journalism.