It has long been held that there is a “fourth estate,” or fourth power, operating in our world. It refers to the press and news media.
The term was first used in light of the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility and the commoners. British essayist Thomas Carlyle attributed the origin of the term to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke who used it in a British parliamentary debate in 1787 on the opening up of press reporting of the House of Commons of Great Britain. In the United States, the phrase “fourth estate” is often changed to the “fourth branch,” in light of the three branches of government. When referred to as the “fourth estate,” it speaks to the independence of the press; when spoken of as the “fourth branch,” it speaks to the lack of independence of the press.
Regardless of how…
