Economics
The Role of Independent Media in Democratic Accountability
Quick fact
In 1971, the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers, a secret government report detailing decades of misleading the public about the Vietnam War. That act of independent journalism showed how the press can expose state deception, triggering legal battles that reinforced the media's role as a public watchdog.
Why this is interesting
When a government hides its mistakes, who finds out? In a healthy democracy, that job falls to independent media—but how do they actually keep power in check?