UNIT 1

THE FOURTH ESTATE AND IDEA OF DEMOCRACY

The fourth estate of democracy is media, the informative one. Journalism as we know is
about collecting, selecting information, writing, editing, photographing,
broadcasting/publishing and owning a news organization. And therefore a journalist is
known as the watchdog of the society.
In 1787, Edmund Burke coined the term the fourth estate in regard to the free press
when journalists began reporting on the House of Commons in the UK. The medias
function was to act as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog on the activities
of government. It conveys the concept of the press as an unofficial fourth establishment
of democracy that acts as a balance of power on the executive, legislative and judicial
branches of government.
Today, the fourth estate is assumed to mean the press, extending to all modern forms of
journalism. This usage has stuck because it describes the important role that journalism
plays in democracy. Democracy requires citizens to be informed and to be able to speak
freely. Without a free press, democracy cannot function. However, in order for the press
to act as a check on power, it needs to be free of both government control and the
powerbrokers of society, such as large corporations. It must remain independent.
In their watchdog role, the channels of the news media can function to promote
government transparency, accountability, and public scrutiny of decision-makers in
power, by highlighting policy failures, maladministration by public officials, corruption
in the judiciary, and scandals in the corporate sector. Investigative journalism can open
the governments record to external scrutiny and critical evaluation, and hold authorities
accountable for their actions, whether public sector institutions, non-profit organizations,
or private companies.
Equally vital, in their civic forum role, the free press can strengthen the public sphere, by
mediating between citizens and the state, facilitating debate about the major issues of the
day, and informing the public about party leadership, political issues, and government
actions.
The news media also functions as an agenda-setter, providing information about urgent
social problems and thereby channeling citizens concerns to decision-makers in
government.
An important function of the Press is to correlate and interpret the events in order to
enable the people to obtain a perspective and to understand the significance of the events.
The events are evaluated and interpreted, the motive being to mobilize the opinion of
public. The Press has come to affect not only public opinion, but also, public choice. For
example, a large share of news stories are based on politics and the statements of
politicians, while a magnifying glass needs to be arranged to find stories on religious,
artistic, sporting, scientific, health related or recreational stories. This automatically gives
a message to the reader that political features are of more importance.
For a country like India which is the worlds largest democracy, being regarded as the
respiratory system of its egalitarian setup, is indeed a huge responsibility and power. It
becomes essential for the Press to maintain a balance between these two domains. Where

instances such as medias probe into Jessica Lall murder case reassure the faith in justice
and empower the Press as a helping hand in governance, the same community of
journalists is questioned when it comes to controversies such as Radia Tapes controversy.
Whether or not the Indian Press is fulfilling its role as the fourth estate depends largely
on where this role starts and where it ends. But the blurred borders of its role make it
difficult to conclude. However, it wouldnt be unfair to say that in spite of being criticized
for crossing the line and basing every feature with the viewership turnovers in mind, the
Press is working towards the vision of Media Utopia where the Press, the Power, and the
People walk hand in hand.
The existence of a free, independent and powerful media is the cornerstone of a
democracy, especially of a highly mixed society like India. Media is not only a medium
to express once feelings, opinions and views, but it is also responsible and instrumental
for building opinions and views on various topics of regional, national and international
agenda. The pivotal role of the media is its ability to mobilize the thinking process of
millions.
HISTORY OF PRESS LAWS IN INDIA