Media
Related: About this forumThe Fourth Estate
Folks keep asking why the press doesn't just walk out en masse or stop coverage of the White House or ignore press briefings. Here's why. They are the Fourth Estate.
So it's a really bad idea. To quote the Washington Post, "Democracy dies in darkness."
This is from the Yale University Law School Blog:
Final Check
November 22, 2016
By Delbert Tran
The election brings a major shift in power. Not only did the presidency shift from the Democratic Party to the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, but Republicans retained control of Congress, and judicial vacancies indicate that the courts will fall under the sway of the same party. No matter your political persuasion, the political alignment of all three branches of government raises concern about our system of checks and balances.
But beyond the three traditional branches of government, there is another that has often been described as a fourth branch: the free press. Edmund Burke reportedly said that there were three Estates
but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important far than they all.
A free press has been a staple of our nations liberties and history. During the American Revolution, the press provided a key source of information. In fact, it was so important that Congress provided the Continental Army with a printer so that Americans could maintain access to a newspaper during the war. After independence, the press was pivotal in publishing the Federalist and Antifederalist Papers, which provided a staging ground for the ideas that would form this countrys Constitution.
Since then, the press has continued to play an active role in keeping the government accountable. In the 1950s, the press monitored Senator McCarthys Communist investigations, revealing all of McCarthys charges against the army to be false, and putting an end to McCarthys witch hunt. In 1971, the press investigated the Watergate break-in, exposing the Nixon scandal, leading to the indictments of forty administration officials and the eventual resignation of President Nixon.
More recently, in 2013, the press played a vital role in unveiling the NSA mass surveillance programs of American citizens, leading to significant reforms to ensure the protection of American citizens and their civil liberties. In other words, if you ask: who watches the watchmen? We answer: the press.
The press has always had its eyes on the government, and has always served as the voice of the people, speaking truth to power. And the Media Freedom and Information (MFIA) Clinic stands by their side, ready to protect their role in our democracy.
No matter the administration, the MFIA Clinic will continue the work its been doing: promoting transparency, challenging abuses of government power, and protecting the press and this countrys fundamental civil liberties. In prior and current cases, the Clinic has brought suits against the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense, and Attorney General, among others, to ensure the protection of First Amendment rights and the publics access to essential information. The Clinic will continue its efforts to ensure that the press and the people can keep our government accountable.
Delbert Tran 18
https://law.yale.edu/mfia/case-disclosed/fourth-estate-final-check
From Wikipedia:
The concept of the media or press as a fourth branch stems from a belief that the news media's responsibility to inform the populace is essential to the healthy functioning of the democracy. The phrase "Fourth Estate" may be used to emphasize the independence of the press particularly when this is contrasted with the press as a "fourth branch".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_branch_of_government
♡ lmsp
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)First: reporter with experience with authoritarianism in China saying reporters should stand together:
https://mobile.twitter.com/melissakchan/status/1060531575492935680
Chuck Todd: walking out is ok
https://mobile.twitter.com/chucktodd/status/1061331750528475138
Jay Rosen: walking out helps you use resources elsewhere
https://mobile.twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/1061319825153253382
Pentagon reporter who doesnt need the bs briefings
https://mobile.twitter.com/JimLaPorta/status/1061348587081269250
ificandream
(10,709 posts)Last edited Wed Nov 21, 2018, 11:59 PM - Edit history (1)
I worked in the newspaper business over three decades, though not as a political reporter. (I personally know people who are political reporters, though.) I did, however, write and edit stories during my career (and still write now).
Here's my take: Walking out is OK, but it really doesn't accomplish that much, in my view. Writing and exposing him is what's important. As soon as you don't, some of his allies (aka Fox News) will take up the gap. In my view, Fox (and idiots like Hannity and fake judge Pirro) comprise the biggest danger to this nation that we have outside of Trump.
But we need to keep the information flowing. I wish the walkout thing would accomplish something meaningful. But it won't. That won't shut Donald up.