1102GIR Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Fourth Estate, Rotary Printing Press, Falklands War
4 May 2018
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L6. Media and Political Communication
The Fourth Estate
• "The press is itself an estate - and is far more influential than all other states." (Edmund Burke,
1787)
o Famous conservative political philosopher (father of conservatism)
• Idea that government should be slow and incremental, and not implement any
radical changes
o Observes that the press itself is an estate, and is more influential than all other estates,
giving it the term of the 'fourth estate'
• Estates are the most important characteristics and divisions in society
▪ These determined social and political status and rights
▪ These were the basis of British parliament (commons and lords)
• The 'three estates' in the transition from medieval government
o Commons
o Clergy
o Nobility
• In USA this structure became the three branches of government with press being the 'fourth
branch'
o Legislature, executive and judiciary
• An 'additional check on government'
o Each branch of government is to check the powers of other branches and to keep the
balance of power
• E.g. Constitutional rights, etc.
• Used to emphasise the press' responsibility for reporting politics and uncovering rulers'
misdeeds (watchdog role)
o Press has responsibility, through showing accountability and scrutiny, making it an
integral part of government, although this is not official
• Thus the need to defend freedom of the press
o Essential for reports to be accurate
The Press in History
• Democratisation of knowledge
o During the Middle Ages, few people possessed substantial knowledge outside of their
personal life experiences
• This tied up with the democratisation of government
▪ The idea that the ordinary person might know enough to have a valid
opinion as to how a country should be ruled
• 1436
o Gutenberg's press and movable type
• 1480
o Presses in 110 European cities
o Entire classical canon printed
• 1500
o Estimated 20,000,000 books printed
o Europe's population 84,000,000
• 1600
o 200,000,000 books printed
• 1843
o Steam powered rotary press
• Millions of impressions per day (mass newspapers)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Government Response
• Early 1400s
o Catholic Church claims to right to license books
• Wanted to prevent outside opinions from influencing people they ruled
▪ E.g. Bible
• They wanted people to follow what they said, rather than form their
own beliefs
• They wanted to have a monopoly on this information, and therefore
on people
• Protestantism
o The individual should have their own relationship to God and should read for themselves
• Very radical
• Caused religious wars
• Possessing a Bible was considered a crime
• 1534 (Henry VIII)
o Proclamations against
• Purchase of foreign-published religious books
• Seditious and heretical books
• 1555 (Mary)
o All books by Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, etc. banned
• 1559 (Elizabeth)
o Protestant Episcopal Church must approve all prined materials
• 1662 (Charles II)
o Stationers become 'self-regulating' under license
o Required to certify that work was not "contrary to the Christian faith … or against the
state or government"
o Prosecution for
• Treason, libel, heresy, 'false news'
• Unlicensed publication
• William Blackstone, 1822
o "The liberty of the press is indeed essential to the nature of a free state; but this consists
in laying no previous restraints upon publication, and not in freedom from censure for
criminal matter when published. Every free-man has an undoubted right to lay what
sentiments he pleases before the public; to forbid this, is to destroy the freedom of the
press; but if he publishes what is improper, mischievous or illegal, he must take the
consequences of his own temerity."
Media Effects
• Progression from press to media
o The modern dominant way of getting news
• Propaganda
o Brainwashing
o Controlling populations
o Executing power
• 19th century
o Media is often a vehicle of opinion
• 20th century
o Notion of objectivity in the media
• 1930s
o Radio broadcasting and propaganda
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
