fourth estate
4
5.7
- noun
- /fɔrθ ɪˈsteɪt/
- Literature
:
cuarta poder
- Some sources attribute the origin of the phrase to French writers, who referred to the press as a fourth "estate" separate from the church, the nobility, and the crown.
- member of the fourth estate
Examples
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What is the role of media, the unofficial fourth estate of government, and how have they fulfilled that role?
Blog text (33) -
Thank God for the fourth estate, valiantly fighting to keep the populace informed and thereby ensuring the continued success of democracy!
Blog text (7) -
If we had a real fourth estate, they would follow the money and work this one out.
Blog text (25) -
The press is called the fourth estate, and the electronic media is often referred to as the fifth estate.
Blog text (14) -
In modern times, the "fourth estate" refers to the mainstream mass media.
Blog text (19) -
At a minimum, full contextual reporting on these crucial issues would allow for the development of informed public opinion—the way, in classical American press theory, the fourth estate is supposed to function.
Academic text (2001) -
The chair recognises its old friend, that distinguished member of the fourth estate, founder, owner, publisher and editor of the Shinbone Star, Mr Dutton Peabody, Esquire.
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The fourth estate plays a crucial role in informing the public about current events.
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In a democracy, the fourth estate holds those in power accountable through investigative journalism.
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Many believe that the fourth estate must remain independent to effectively serve as a check on governmental authority.
Synonyms
∞
1.1
People and organizations that gather and publish news
100
2.3
Organizations like newspapers and TV that report and share news
1
3.2
Newspapers and magazines that gather and publish news for the public
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the press and news media' is not directly derivable from the literal senses of 'fourth' (an ordinal) and 'estate' (a social class or property); it is a historical and metaphorical label. Understanding it requires cultural/political-historical knowledge about the concept of social 'estates' or powers, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would likely not infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The phrase fourth estate comes from an old idea of three main groups in society—the church, the nobles, and the common people—and the news media were seen as a fourth group or 'estate' standing beside them. So, the phrase means the press is a powerful, watchful group that checks those in power.