The public weighs in on professional journalism.
WatchDoggery is where the thinking public weighs in on professional journalism — commentary, complaints, compliments, and questions. Our focus is standards-based news and information providers, whether newspaper or digital, local or national, video and broadcast, audio or podcast. The delivery method is irrelevant.
WatchDoggery is the public feedback project of the Public Alliance of Professional Journalists (PAPJ). PAPJ works on the standards of professional journalism; WatchDoggery is where the public tells newsrooms how well they are meeting them.
Every submission is read by a person. We publish overviews of patterns — never your personal details.
Everything you need to weigh in
WatchDoggery welcomes complaints, compliments, and commentary about news outlets that follow professional standards. Start with the area that fits what you came to do.
How to share feedback
We welcome complaints, compliments, and commentary about news and information outlets that follow professional standards. Here's what we'll review — and what falls outside our scope.
Read moreOur review process
We are in the early days of organization. We'll be publishing more details about how we sort feedback and publish summaries.
Read moreSubmit feedback now
Fill out the form to raise a complaint, offer praise, or share a comment about a news article, broadcast, or stream. We seek serious input.
Open the formReview
Someone at WatchDoggery will review every submission. Our goal is to inform the public. We carry no regulatory power.
Read moreWho we cover
Outlets that follow recognized journalism standards — local newspapers, online news sites, and local or national broadcast and streaming news.
See standardsFAQs
How WatchDoggery works, what to expect after you submit, and how to request a second look.
Read answersWhat happens after you submit
We're in the early days of organizing, and every submission is read by a person. Here's how we intend feedback to move from your form to a published summary — and, when it's warranted, to the outlet itself. We'll share more detail as the project grows.
We sort it
Each submission is categorized as a complaint, compliment, or comment, then matched to the outlet and the standard it touches.
We share it
Where it's useful, we pass substantive feedback to the outlet. As WatchDoggery grows, we hope to share outlets' responses too, so the exchange runs both ways.
We publish patterns
We publish overviews of recurring themes so readers and outlets can see where coverage is working — and where it isn't.
Raise a complaint, offer praise, or comment
We're here for constructive feedback. Specific comments are the ones that help newsrooms improve. Tell us what a story did well or where it fell short. Suggest what you'd like to see more of, or less.
Use this form for a news article, broadcast, or stream from an outlet that follows professional standards. A link or headline helps us find it quickly.
- Every submission is read by a person.
- We publish overviews, never your personal details.
- Your contact details are used only to follow up on your submission.
Thank you — your feedback is in.
Someone at WatchDoggery will review it and, where it's useful, share it with the outlet. Recurring patterns are published in our overviews.
WatchDoggery is a public-interest project. If you'd like to support our work, a voluntary contribution is welcome — and always appreciated.
Support our workOutlets that hold themselves to professional standards
WatchDoggery focuses on news organizations that follow recognized journalism standards. If the outlet you have in mind fits one of these, we want to hear from you.
Local newspapers
Community and regional papers in print and on the web.
Online news sites
Digital-first newsrooms publishing original reporting.
Broadcast & streaming
Local or national news on air and on demand.
Every submission gets a human review
Someone at WatchDoggery will review every submission. Our goal is to inform the public — we carry no regulatory power. Because the United States has no statutory press regulator, WatchDoggery is built around feedback, not enforcement.
Answers to common questions
How does WatchDoggery work?
Is there a cost to submit?
What should I expect after I submit?
Does WatchDoggery verify what I submit?
Can I request a second look?
Which outlets fall outside your scope?
Seen something worth flagging?
Complaints, compliments, and commentary all help make journalism better.