When you begin studying journalism, one of the first topics you’ll cover is the fourth estate. But what is it, and what should you know about it?
What is the fourth estate
The fourth estate describes the press and its vital role in upholding democracy. Sadly, it’s now increasingly outdated, as public trust in the media is so low. However, the name refers to the influence and status that journalists and their news outlets have amongst a nation’s powers.
The term dates back centuries, when it was applied to various unofficial groups that held public influence, including mob gatherings. Over time, it was associated more heavily with journalists. It’s a topic that students doing a journalism degree like /schoolofjournalism.co.uk/ will study during their foundation, to understand the vital role of journalism in any democratic economy.
The fourth estate and trust
Sadly, public mistrust in the media is rocketing, and now the fourth estate is often used with some irony. A survey by Gallup found in 2019 that only 41% of news readers trusted what they read in the news, and the figures for this are getting worse every year.
Today the term ‘fourth estate’ is hardly used at all, preceding as it did the king, clergy and common man, and it describes a world that no longer exists. The question now is whether the journalistic and media world can have a role that people value and respect, especially in a world of social media where communication is increasingly devolved and led by YouTube and other social sharing updates, often via short videos.