Citizen watchdogs
Empowering citizens to bolster the fourth power of government.
Citizen watchdogs
A guide to hold your government accountable
Find your country
What is a citizen watchdog?
In the digital age, the concept of citizens as watchdogs has evolved from simply observing to actively participating in the oversight of governance. It's about ordinary people harnessing the power of data and information to keep their government transparent and accountable.
By engaging in data journalism, citizens become the sentinels of democracy, empowered to scrutinize public records, analyze government data, and unearth stories that might otherwise remain untold. This proactive approach to citizenship goes beyond the ballot box; it's a commitment to continuous vigilance, ensuring that leaders uphold the public interest and maintain integrity in their actions.
Our website is your starting point, offering guidance to unearth impactful stories and keep the powers that be in check
Get to action now!
Country profile
Guides
Whether it’s elections, corruption on the executive, legislative or judicial level, police violence, or corrupted press - we have created global guides with tips for specific areas in which citizens watchdogs like you can have impact.
Governments, elections, and transparency laws differ from country to country. That’s why we have divided our tips into general and global recommendations as well as country-specific case studies.
Country profiles
Go to the profile of your country to understand the current state of corruption, the quality of the democratic system, and its legal context. With the help of crowdsourcing information from hundreds of volunteers, we have created tailor-made tips for your country.
Find your country
Is your country not there yet? Reach out to us and join your country’s development team.
4 ways to be a citizen watchdog
Leverage freedom of information laws
Add a short overview of your plans for the coming year
Share content with media
Add a short overview of your plans for the coming year
Attend local government meetings
Make use of the power you have as a citizen, show up and address your concerns
Open data base analysis
Look for trends that the government is not communicating about
Leverage freedom of information laws
What is a freedom of Information Law?
An FOI law enables public access to government documents and information upon request.
Does your country have a FOI law?
Check our interactive map to see if your country has a FOI law. You can click on your country to read the law and its specifics.
How can you leverage FOI as a citizen watchdog?
Utilize FOI laws to request access to government information, shedding light on the actions and decisions that affect you.
Becoming a pro in the FOI process
Learn to draft precise FOI requests to efficiently obtain the specific information you need without unnecessary delays.
Share content with the media
You see and create crucial information
Armed with just a smartphone, anyone can report in real-time, creating impactful visuals and stories for blogs and social media, adding a vital, unedited voice to mainstream media.
As citizen watchdogs capture events and issues around them, they provide unique insights and authentic stories, helping journalists to fill reporting gaps and present a more comprehensive narrative, thereby playing an active role in shaping a diverse and participatory media environment.
Attend local government meetings
Your presence creates acccountability
Attending local government meetings is a fundamental form of civic vigilance.
By being present at council gatherings, town halls, and public forums, individuals act as watchdogs, monitoring, recording, and questioning the proceedings and policies proposed by local officials.
This engagement promotes transparency, effectively bridging the gap between the public and the policymakers..
Open data base analysis
Leverage your data skills to create to uncover truth
Open database analysis is a vital tool for citizen oversight, enabling the transformation of raw data into insights for accountability. By examining government-released information, from financial flows to service outcomes, individuals can detect inconsistencies and advocate for change. This critical analysis not only supports investigative journalism but also promotes policy transparency, empowering the public to engage in informed dialogue and hold authorities to account.
Want to participate?
Get in touch with us.