Welcome to The Watchdog.
We’re a new independent Canadian journalism publication focused on reporting about wealth, power and democracy.
I want to tell you more about what The Watchdog is, explain why I think it’s important and share with you my long-term goals for this scrappy upstart publication.
But first thing’s first: What exactly is a watchdog, anyway?
The word “watchdog” is, of course, an old farming term. Watchdogs maintain a vigilant eye over family farms, sniff out suspicious sights and sounds, and alert farmers should a fox be spotted entering a henhouse or thieves be found milling about a tool shed in the dark of night.
In the nineteenth century, the term came to be associated with the journalists and public advocates who investigated corrupt governments and monopolistic companies to expose abuses of power, betrayals of the public trust and other social and economic injustices.
For me, the watchdog is a perfect metaphor summing up the democratic function of journalism: It is the role of the journalist to keep watch over their communities, investigate suspicious activities and alert the public when concerning information comes to light.
We’re currently standing at a precarious moment in history. Democracies all around the world are being disrupted and transformed by radical political forces and billionaire tech barons seeking wealth and power.
Democracies depend on citizens who are not only informed about issues, but also informed about how wealthy and powerful interests are actively influencing and shaping their democracy.
One reason I created The Watchdog is because I think this moment demonstrates why it is time to renew the proud, democratic tradition of watchdog journalism here in Canada.
In recent years, as traditional newsrooms have been shrinking and disappearing, we’ve seen small independent independent outlets move to fill gaps in coverage with special issue-based focuses or by serving special communities of interest.
But one thing so far lacking here in Canada is an outlet focused exclusively on wealth, power and democracy. Many journalists certainly report on these subjects, but The Watchdog is bringing these issues together under a single, dedicated editorial mission and making it the central focus of our journalism.
Our editorial mission is to protect the public and defend democracy. We are producing original investigative reporting, critical analysis and explanatory journalism guided by three priorities:
1. Understanding Wealth, Power and Democracy
We help the public understand how Canada really works by examining the influence of wealth and power on our democracy. We look at how our civic institutions operate, how public policy gets made and how our information environment is shaping public debate.
2. Keeping Power in Check
We bring matters of public concern to light. We monitor the people, groups and networks trying to influence politics, investigate wealthy and powerful interests and keep public officials honest and accountable.
3. Strengthening Canada’s Democratic Culture
We aim to build a stronger democratic culture through journalism. We contribute to the exchange of ideas about democracy, surface stories that spark public debate and create change, and use a journalistic lens that centres the public interest and remains grounded in democratic and egalitarian values.
These are big, ambitious goals. Delivering on this vision means we need to build a newsroom that has the resources, infrastructure and journalists it needs to sustain this work over the long haul.
We’re starting small but we’re going to grow deliberately and strategically. Our ultimate goal will be to build The Watchdog into a specialized, mission-focused newsroom — but we’re not going to bite off more than we can chew. One thing I learned running a news organization for a decade and a half is that it’s better to carve out a strong niche than try to cover everything under the sun.
We’ve just completed our first goal by putting the digital infrastructure in place to start publishing stories. Our next goal is to build a solid foundation for our watchdog journalism by asking readers who believe in our mission to become founding donors.
With your support, we’re going to report things that you won’t hear about elsewhere, break stories that make a real-world impact and create journalism that seeks to protect the public and defend democracy. Every founding donor helps us put in place the building blocks we need to grow a newsroom that can pursue important stories about wealth, power and democracy in Canada.
Over the coming weeks, months and years, The Watchdog will work hard to earn your trust. In the meantime, I hope you follow along by subscribing and also consider supporting our journalism.
Thanks for reading and please keep watching The Watchdog as we grow.
Luke LeBrun,
Founder and Editor of The Watchdog
