Fourth Estate
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"None of our political writers ... take[s] notice of any more than three estates, namely, Kings, Lords, and Commons ... passing by in silence that very large and powerful body which form the fourth estate in this community ... The Mob."--Covent Garden Journal (1752) by Henry Fielding |
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The term Fourth Estate or fourth power refers to the press and news media both in explicit capacity of advocacy and implicit ability to frame political issues. Though it is not formally recognized as a part of a political system, it wields significant indirect social influence.
The derivation of the term fourth estate arises from the traditional European concept of the three estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The equivalent term "fourth power" is somewhat uncommon in English, but it is used in many European languages, including Italian (quarto potere), German (Vierte Gewalt), Spanish (Cuarto poder), and French (Quatrième pouvoir), to refer to a government's separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
See also
- Fourth branch of government
- Freedom of the press
- Estates of the realm
- Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation
- Glossary of journalism
- List of newspapers in the United States
- The Fourth Estate (2018 TV series)
- Videocracy
