The Mainstream Media - The Current State of The Fourth Estate

by Gordon Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, September 26, 2008

In 1828, Thomas Babington Macaulay penned an essay in which he claimed that the gallery containing the press corps “has become the fourth estate of the realm”. He was inferring that the power wielded by those who held the pen was equal to the other three estates of the French power hierarchy – the lords spiritual (the clergy), the lords temporal (civic leaders) and the commons (populace). This name has stuck with the tenacity of a ripened burdock blossom to the collective derrieres of the press corps ever since.

While many journalists carry their press badges with the honor and sense of responsibility they deserve, many others seem to view themselves less as members of a fourth estate and more as the fourth branch of government. In other words, it seems to me that many in today’s media have gone from being reporters of the news to being refiners of the news.

Just as the sugar refiners take raw materials and boil away the dross to produce a sweet product that is palatable to the consumer, the current stable of media elite boil away what they see as waste products and spoon feed us what they think we want to read and hear.

It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that while many consumers may become fat and happy listening to their favorite news source, many others view the current state of this fourth estate with great distrust and maybe even disdain.

In an eye-opening article published on the website of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), www.asne.org, the authors pointed out some serious differences between the public’s perception of the news media and the journalists’ own perception of themselves. Entitled “Perspectives of public and the press: Examining our Credibility” this article exposed how sadly mistaken most journalists are about the public they serve.

For the sake of time and space I will not repeat here all the findings they discovered, but suffice it to say that the news media rests not far below the public’s approval rating of the current congress (which is in single digits at last report).

Questions of credibility and objectivity surround almost every news source and outlet. A perception that most journalists do not share the political views of the general public and that those views determine which stories stay in the shade and which share in the spotlight seems to be more valid each day.

One quote from the aforementioned article stated that the consumers of news recognize the existence of bias and even the journalists themselves concur to a certain extent that they “are not a representative sample of the public.” A survey of the political affiliations, campaign contributions and voting records of journalists consistently shows a liberal/progressive stance. I am not contending that there exists a “vast, left-wing conspiracy” with nefarious back-room deals by cigar-chomping oligarchs. However, I am saying that the news media is made up of humans and humans tend to have opinions and opinions tend to come out in the words we speak, and the news we cover – and the news we cover up.

I could fill every page of this paper with examples of what could easily be classified as bias in the stories that have filled the air waves and covered the news pages in this election cycle, but that is not my purpose here. Those examples are available within a few mouse clicks on a Google search. I could also quote polling data and reference many other surveys which tell and re-tell what most of us already know, which is that expecting accuracy, objectivity and credibility from our news media is like expecting safe toys and pure pet food from China. In other words, ‘caveat emptor’ – let the buyer beware.

In the few short weeks (thank Heaven for the speedy passing of time!) that remain of this current election campaign, let us all be wary consumers. When we see over five stories about Sarah Palin’s daughter in the same old New York Times newspaper that failed to find anything newsworthy (all the news fit to print?) about John Edward’s trysts, buyer beware. When we hear questions put to one candidate that are never asked of another candidate, buyer beware. When the leading news story is telling you the results of a poll of 1,000 respondents, buyer beware.

The “alternative” news media that is currently available to consumers can be either a blessing or a curse in this effort toward wariness. We have several 24/7 news channels available, where the last generation of consumers was subject to only three networks. We have access to electronic information that was unavailable a few short years ago. We have fact checkers and fact checkers of the fact checkers. Therefore we have no excuse for being misinformed and/or misled. It is up to us to be careful listeners, to be skeptical viewers and to be cynical readers.

Perhaps it is time to empower that Third Estate – the commoners – with the responsibility of disseminating information. Welcome, Broader View Weekly!