Democracy and the Fourth Estate: The Vital Role of the Media
Lylah M. Alphonse
Women Explore Lecture and Discussion Forum / WomenExplore.org Oct. 15, 2020 A Brief History of the Media in the United States
● First newspaper in the U.S.?
○ “Publick Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick”
○ Only one issue, published in Boston in 1690.
● About a century later – in 1791 – the First Amendment gave us freedom of the press.
● News magazines became a popular part of daily life soon after that, from the 1800s to the 1830s.
● In the 1830s, publications shifted from self-help and enlightenment for the elite, to entertainment
for the masses.
● Radio joined the news game in 1920, when Pittsburgh station KDKA started broadcasting news. A Brief History of the Media in the United States
● Television entered the news space in the 1940s, changing the news game forever.
● CNN was born in 1980 and, with it, the 24/7 news cycle. A Brief History of the Media in the United States
● Television entered the news space in the 1940s, changing the news game forever.
● CNN was born in 1980 and, with it, the 24/7 news cycle.
● In 1984, Yahoo! launched as an internet portal and eventually evolved into a news hub.
● In 1995, The Boston Globe launched Boston.com, and a year later the New York Times launched its
own online news site. A Brief History of the Media in the United States
● Television entered the news space in the 1940s, changing the news game forever.
● CNN was born in 1980 and, with it, the 24/7 news cycle.
● In 1984, Yahoo! launched as an internet portal and eventually evolved into a news hub.
● In 1995, The Boston Globe launched Boston.com, and a year later the New York Times launched its
own online news site.
● Social media came soon after: LiveJournal (1999), Blogger (1999), LinkedIn (2002), MySpace (2003),
Facebook (2004), Twitter (2006), Tumblr (2007) Instagram (2010), SnapChat (2011), TikTok (2016) What Is the “Mainstream” Media?
● The Mainstream media is mostly a myth. ● Even the alternative media is part of the mainstream now. ● The media is not a monolith.
● Different types of media target different groups and have different approaches to news. “The Fourth Estate” or “The Fourth Branch”?
● “The Fourth Estate”
○ Comes from the European concept of the “three states of the realm”
■ The clergy
■ The nobility
■ The commoners.
○ Used to be used to describe any unofficial group that wielded public influence, good or bad.
○ Indicates that the media is independent of, but as important as, the government. “The Fourth Estate” or “The Fourth Branch”?
● “The Fourth Branch”
○ Comes from the American concept of the three branches of government
■ Legislative
■ Judicial
○ Indicates that the media is not independent of government and implies that it is simply another facet of it. “The Fourth Estate” or “The Fourth Branch”?
● Which do you think we have? ○ Fourth Estate ■ Exposing the reality of the Vietnam War
■ Watergate
■ Government corruption
■ Acting as the eyes and ears of the people who can’t be in the room “The Fourth Estate” or “The Fourth Branch”?
● Which do you think we have? ○ The Fourth Branch ■ When journalists are so concerned about access that they end up acting as mouth pieces for the powerful.
■ Government officials who assume that press and PR are the same thing.
■ The move from information to infotainment
■ “Yellow Journalism”
■ Bias
Source: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/static-mbc/ How Technology Has Changed the Media
● For the better? ○ Better access to public records ○ Real-time fact-checking ○ Easier for readers to find coverage ○ Email allows reporters to reach sources more efficiently, share materials ○ Crowdsourcing via social media ○ Promote and share news widely in an instant. ○ Harder to hide news events, thanks to citizen journalists. ○ Grow a community by interacting with your audience instead of preaching from on high. How Technology Has Changed the Media
● For the worse? ○ False information and rumors can be shared as quickly and easily as legitimate news ○ Anyone can create and use a media platform without oversight or training ○ Big media competes to be first, letting accuracy slide ○ So many fake news sites! ○ Difficulty telling news and opinion -- or news and satire -- apart. ○ Style over substance. ○ “Reality TV” ○ “Deep Fake” videos and deceptive editing Democracy and the Media
● Technological advancements have changed not just how consumers get the news, but how the news itself is produced and presented.
● Business of news has changed what consumers get to see and when.
● Competition is intense, and accuracy and information are sometimes sacrificed in the name of speed and exclusivity. This has a real impact when it comes to acting as a watchdog. Democracy and the Media
● There was a time when the press was not expected to be non-partisan.
● In the 1800s and 1900s, publications were (correctly) assumed to reflect the opinions of their publishers.
● Cities typically had multiple newspapers supporting the various political factions not just in the city, but in each political party.
● Over the last 150 or so years, Boston has had as many as 56 newspapers advocating for different causes and constituents. Democracy and the Media
A trustworthy, objective, independent press is essential to democracy.
But…
Trust in traditional media has diminished over time. Democracy and the Media
A trustworthy, objective, independent press is essential to democracy.
But…
Trust in traditional media has diminished over time.
Objectivity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder (or the editor).. Democracy and the Media
A trustworthy, objective, independent press is essential to democracy.
But…
Trust in traditional media has diminished over time.
Objectivity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder (or the editor)..
The independence of the press is being undermined -- or, at the very least manipulated -- by lawmakers, the administration, consumers, and even by the media itself. Democracy and the Media
To preserve democracy, The Fourth Estate needs to adapt.
● Media failed to acknowledge early on that the 2016 election cycle was different and that Trump, in particular, was different. Democracy and the Media
To preserve democracy, The Fourth Estate needs to adapt.
● Media failed to acknowledge early on that the 2016 election cycle was different and that Trump, in particular, was different.
● Once the election was over, the Media was slow to adapt. Democracy and the Media
To preserve democracy, The Fourth Estate needs to adapt.
● Media failed to acknowledge early on that the 2016 election cycle was different and that Trump, in particular, was different.
● Once the election was over, the Media was slow to adapt.
● As the 2020 election cycle nears its close, the media seems to be catching on. Democracy and the Media
To preserve democracy, The Fourth Estate needs to adapt.
● Media failed to acknowledge early on that the 2016 election cycle was different and that Trump, in particular, was different.
● Once the election was over, the Media was slow to adapt.
● As the 2020 election cycle nears its close, the media seems to be catching on.
● Or, at least, consumers are. Links
● For fact checking: ○ Snopes.com ○ Propublica.org ○ Factcheck.org ○ poynter.org/news/fact-checking/ ○ politifact.com
● Media Bias Chart: ○ https://www.adfontesmedia.com/static-mbc/
● Wesley Lowery’s article on newsroom bias: ○ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/objectivity-black-journalists-coronavirus.html Thank you!
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