Why are journalism and democracy considered inter-dependent? Disscuss with suitable examples.

Journalist act as the bridge between authority and people. Press need to deal with the government for two reasons
(1) due to it’s watchdog function
(2) bridging function
Journalist play the vital role of “watchdog” over the government looking out for instances of malfunction and corruption. The public would have far less control over the affairs of the government without the probing questions of investigative reporters. Democracy of journalism means freedom of press which gives right to publish without prior restraint and freedom from despotic control by the government.
It provides an independent channel of communication between groups in society.
It also provides a forum of public debate about the issues of the day, it articulates public opinion arising from this debate and it forces governments to take account of what people think. Journalism is thus the agency through which private citizens are reconstituted as a public body exercising informal supervision of the state.

Democracy and journalism are deeply inter-dependent because it assume that human beings are rational and are capable of making their own decisions and the government exists to serve the individual. We also know the meaning of freedom of the journalism which assumes that journalism will not overlook the poor and powerless. Actually journalism is the voice of voiceless people.
The principle and purpose of journalism are defined by something more basic the function news plays in the lives of the people. For all that the face of journalism may change but its purpose remain remarkably constant, since the notion of the journalism first evolved . the central purpose of journalism is to tell the truth so that people will have the information that they need to sovereign.
Democracy means people power and Journalism is to bring messages from the government to the people and vice versa for transparency (trust) and accuracy in order for the people to have clear images of whom they want to be their leaders.

Democracy is the system of government where people control the government through election and it is well known fact that only a well-informed citizen can take better decisions. Journalism is that sole medium through which people become informed about the governmental activities because journalism plays the active role of watchdog. Media is the main source of information for public. So when public are given diversified in formations, they take their own decisions. In a way, we can say, media is not the power house itself but it enjoys the power through the public support. So media indirectly control the government.
A lot of countries now have a trend toward democracy and this is the journalism's essensial duty really to help those people who are in need when they need somebody to explain them that they have their own rights to choose the government who can ensure their needs.
On the other side, journalism by definition always sticks to the key word “news”. Also journalism is more tilted towards social service and less towards business, so authentic and fact news distributed before wide audience by journalism are certain to serve and make people aware of governmental activities, changing trend in the society and also the ups and down of the whole world.
There are countries where the vast majority of people don't have access to basic life necessities such as food, running water, electricity, medical care, etc. It's very unlikely that those people would know much about democracy let alone fight for it. Roman republic contributed into different aspects of democracy such as Laws, it never became a democracy. The Romans had elections for choosing representatives, but again women, slaves, and the large foreign population were excluded. So the public opinion is formed by media through the public feedbacks and responses which is a must for democracy. Even in our own country Nepal, the exclusion of Janajatis, Madhesis and other marginalized groups of Nepali inhabitants from the main-stream media and also the main-stream politics became the greatest reason for Maoist decade long civil war and also the biggest threat for democratic government leaded by Nepali Congress Party. So democracy and media are two sides of the same coin and incomplete without one another’s being.
For example the ‘independent’ press and the fight for democracy in Zimbabwe: A critical analysis of the banned Daily News

The closure of The Daily News, Zimbabwe’s only ‘independent’ newspaper in 2003 attracted both local and worldwide condemnation as the height of the Zimbabwe government’s intolerance of diverse viewpoints. This paper critically analyses the circumstances surrounding the closure of The Daily News and argues that to a great degree, and in various ways, the paper contributed to its own closure, not least because of the hidden motives and ineptitude of its management. Despite immense contribution to opening up the democratic space in Zimbabwe, The Daily News had, right from the beginning, inherent problems that conspired with the political environment leading to its closure in 2003. The paper also argues that foreign ownership and foreign funding of media in developing countries can lead to the erosion of the necessary legitimacy that these media need to compete on the local market. It argues that while the independent press has undoubtedly played a crucial role in the democratization process, they have failed to temper their new found freedom with responsibility. It has become widely accepted that the media are central to modern democracy as primary sources of information. This is because democracy as a political system requires an informed citizenry that is capable of participating effectively in public debate and in the overall political process where they have to make informed decisions.