The importance of a free press
The press is sometimes called the fourth estate. That’s probably too grandiose a concept for most
journalists’ tastes – but it does suggest an important, coherent and independent force in society.
That “apartness” is crucial. The press does not share the same aims as government, the legislature,
the executive, religion or commerce. It is, or should be, an outsider.
[5] Stanley Baldwin did not intend it as a compliment when he said, in 1931, that newspapers had
“power without responsibility”. But, in fact, that lack of responsibility is one of the important respects
in which the press is different. Of course, the press must be responsible for its own standards and
ethics. But it’s not the job of journalists to run things: they are literally without responsibility.
They don’t have to respond to a party whip, to make the compromises necessary in politics. They
[10] are not bound by the confidentiality agreements that bind others. They are careless of causing
inconvenience or embarrassment. They don’t have to win votes. They can write things – about the
economy, say, or the environment – which may need saying, but which are unsayable by politicians.
Until recently it would have been self-evident what the press was. The 1947-9 Royal Commission on
the press described it as “the chief agency for instructing the public on the main issues of the day
[15] … the main source from which information, discussion and advocacy reach the public”.
Increasingly, however, the press nowadays encompasses countless blogs, platforms and websites.
This digital fragmentation of a newspaper has, of course, severe economic implications. But it also
brings into question the distinct role of the press. Many of these new digital forms of information
sharing are based on a different idea of what media is, or who should take part in it. This revolution
[20] in technology allows virtually anyone to create and share their news and thoughts. So 21st century
media, in many respects, marks a sharp break with what went before – a world in which a relatively
restricted group of people benefited from having a platform to address a mass audience.
Also, there is a less glamorous side to our trade which, though vital, is not easily replicated by social
media or bloggers. It is the simple craft of reporting: recording things; asking questions; being an
[25] observer; giving context. It’s sitting in a magistrates’ court reporting on the daily tide of crime cases
– the community’s witness to the process of justice. It’s being on the front line in Libya, trying to
sift conflicting propaganda from the reality. It’s reporting the rival arguments over climate change
– and helping the public to evaluate where the truth lies.
ALAN RUSBRIDGER guardian.co.uk, 06/10/2011.
Being a journalist involves carrying out different tasks.
The ordinary activites a journalist engages in are described in the following paragraph:
