A guard dog perspective is offered as a way to better understand the f
unctioning of the mass media as an important set of communication agen
cies in the social system. This perspective takes into account the var
ying role performances by mass media in reporting on major public issu
es. The guard dog metaphor suggests that media perform as a sentry not
for the community as a whole, but for groups having sufficient power
and influence to create and control their own security systems. This c
onception is delineated from other perspectives, which include (a) the
traditional fourth estate role of watchdog media, (b) the lapdog view
of submissive media, and (c) the view of media as part of a power oli
garchy. Several hypotheses that may be derived for testing the utility
of the guard dog perspective are suggested and discussed in light of
various bodies of evidence available.