Intelligence shocks, media coverage, and congressional accountability, 1947–2012

Abstract

Recent research indicates that most lawmakers rarely engage in intensive intelligence oversight unless a major scandal or failure – a shock – forces them to pay more attention to the dark side of a government. Still, the question remains: what degree of shock is necessary to stir members of the Congress into taking a closer look at the clandestine activities of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the other fifteen organizations that comprise the US Intelligence Community? This report examines ten major intelligence shocks since the creation of the CIA in 1947 and explores the extent of media coverage associated with each. The findings suggest that the level of media coverage often corresponds with the degree of energetic intelligence oversight exercised by government officials: low oversight if a low level of media coverage, moderate if moderate, and high if high.