What is the significance of the fourth estate?

The fourth estate is very significant to how the news media is presented to the public. The fourth estate is utilized in today’s times, but it was coined during the medieval times as the press as a player in medieval power structures, in addition to the clerical, noble, and common estates. In current times the fourth estate applies to all journalistic activity and that their job is to monitor the three branches of government as an external check on behalf of the people. This in turn puts journalists in a watchdog role, which means that the press is a skeptical and critical monitor of government. The monitoring of the government helps keep the public informed in what is really happening either good or bad. If the government had control of the press people would be persuaded to believe everything the government says, but by having the fourth estate established here in the United States more or less keeps the government in check when it comes to what is portrayed in the media. Also the fourth estate prevents biasness when it comes to government news. There still may be biasness because of the reporter, but at least it is an individual bias rather than the government being biased. The fourth estate plays an essential role in monitoring the government in order to inform the public. Without the fourth estate, the public would be ill informed on what is actually happening within the government.