Tuesday, November 30, 2010

What is the significance of the fourth estate?


            The fourth estate is significant because it is essentially where the public receives all of its news.  The fourth estate is the press and media, and it is arguably one of the most important fields of work to be in because the news is constantly changing and people’s beliefs, emotions, and opinions are involved.  The other three estates, executive, legislative, and judicial, have to do directly with the government.  Although the fourth estate has some involvement with the government, the First Amendment allows the press to work without most government supervision.  However, under necessary conditions, the government can step in and regulate broadcasting. 
People want the truth and the press works hard as watchdogs to monitor and keep track of the government and society as a whole.  The fourth estate is extremely powerful because it chooses and delivers what news is broadcasted for everyone to see; this means that news people must be unbiased in deciding what to report and how to report it.  The media’s role in government grants each political candidate equal time, which offers each candidate the same period and rate for advertising and promoting their campaigns. 
The fourth estate needs to be aware of the public and how society might react to certain stories.  Reporters often use agenda-setting to help guide their stories.  They pull in already reported stories and elaborate on them, influencing people what to think about.  Also, the CNN effect triggers emotions and use emotional stories to connect society to the topics being discussed.  Overall, the fourth estate allows us to view different sides of reported stories as well as gather information on topics around the world.

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