The Word of the Day for December 16 is:

ombudsman • \AHM-boodz-mun ("oo" as in "wood")\ • noun
1 : a government official (as in Sweden or New Zealand) who investigates complaints made against public officials
*2 : one that investigates reported complaints (as from students or consumers), reports findings, and helps to achieve equitable settlements

Example sentence:
The newspaper's ombudsman responded to the many angry letters the article had generated.