How can the media serve as a “watchdog”?

After 1968, the T.V. news became much more critical. Hallin finds that this wasn’t just a matter of reflecting a worsening situation for the U.S. military. For example, in the wake of the Tet offensive, many more stories criticized the South Vietnamese government as undemocratic, even though there was no drop in its popularity with its citizens.

federal power is further limited with a system of checks and balances that gives each branch of government a measure of power over the others.

explanation:

norsemen from northern countries had made earlier journeys