Craig Hill
KC Hill
Paladin
Oracle of DelphiThe Fourth Estate
December 1st 2011 10:11
This is a phrase that refers to the profession of Journalism, specifically the Press.
It is derived from the old English idea that there are three estates:
1. the Lords Spritual - those members of the clergy, mainly Bishops, who are members of the House of Lords. Once, the majority of the House of Lords were archbishops, bishops and mitred abbots. However, since the Reformation, this has changed. The 16th century dissolution of the monasteries meant there were no abbots to attend. There have also been limitations on the number of bishops entitled to sit. Today, it has reduced to 26. These include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior Church of England Bishops.
2. the Lords Temporal - those members of the House of Lords who are either hereditary peers, Law Lords, or Lords appointed for life.
3. the House of Commons - the lower house, or "people's house" of the British Parliament, now the seat of government.
The notion that the Press is the fourth estate rests on the idea that the media's function is to act as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog on the activities of government.
Depending on one's view of the media, this is either self-serving rationalisation, or an important component of the checks and balances that form part of a modern democracy.
It is derived from the old English idea that there are three estates:
1. the Lords Spritual - those members of the clergy, mainly Bishops, who are members of the House of Lords. Once, the majority of the House of Lords were archbishops, bishops and mitred abbots. However, since the Reformation, this has changed. The 16th century dissolution of the monasteries meant there were no abbots to attend. There have also been limitations on the number of bishops entitled to sit. Today, it has reduced to 26. These include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of Durham, London and Winchester, and the 21 next most senior Church of England Bishops.
2. the Lords Temporal - those members of the House of Lords who are either hereditary peers, Law Lords, or Lords appointed for life.
3. the House of Commons - the lower house, or "people's house" of the British Parliament, now the seat of government.
The notion that the Press is the fourth estate rests on the idea that the media's function is to act as a guardian of the public interest and as a watchdog on the activities of government.
Depending on one's view of the media, this is either self-serving rationalisation, or an important component of the checks and balances that form part of a modern democracy.
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