A primary responsibility of local newspapers is to hold accountable local government and other institutions of power, money and influence.

Len Downie, the retired editor of the Washington Post, recently spoke on this subject at the Poynter Institute, and he had some steller advice for community newspapers committed to watchdog journalism:

-- Local first. Serve your community with your investigations, just as with all of your coverage. Leave broad, national projects to the major news organizations.
That doesn't mean, however, that a local focus won't have national implications. An investigation of a corrupt mayor probably is relevant to a small area. Others, such as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's probe into fraudulent FEMA claims after hurricanes, can grow into national stories.

-- Don't fixate on the big, blowout series. "More often than not, it's more effective if you chip away at a story," he said. Such an approach also engages readers better, allowing the story to develop before them and enabling them to offer feedback and tips that can push the reporting further. Avoid false choices. Don't get locked into an either/or mentality between investigative reporting and daily coverage. Instead, work the approach into all of your coverage.

-- Set priorities. This has always been a key part of managing news coverage; news organizations never had infinite space and money. Now the choices are just harder. Accountability journalism grows out of normal journalism, out of reporters' beats.

We would all be wise to heed Len Downie's advice.