Dunne was half kidding, but the maxim has stuck. Unfortunately, the notion that the press is there to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted misconstrues the meaning of the watchdog role and gives it a liberal cast, but the concept is deeper and more nuanced than the literal sense of afflicting or comforting would suggest. As history shows, it more properly means watching over the powerful few in society on behalf of the many to guard against tyranny. The purpose of the watchdog role also extends beyond simply making the management and execution of power transparent, to making known and understood the effects of that power. This logically implies that the press should report on powerful institutions that are working effectively, as well as those that are not.
Endless criticisms lose meaning, and the public has no basis for judging good from bad.
Interpretative Investigative Reporting. This form often involves the same original enterprise skills but takes the interpretation to a different level. One early example is publication in The New York Times of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Then a team of reporters and editors expert in foreign policy and the Vietnam war interpreted and organized the documents into a dramatic account of public deception. Without this synthesis and interpretation, the Pentagon Papers would have meant little to most of the public.