The ‘fourth estate’. Is it really needed?

When I watched ‘Dispatches: How the MoD Wastes Our Billions’ [20 September, Channel 4], I remembered how important the media, the Fourth Estate, are for healthy government within the liberal democratic pattern. By healthy government is meant a form and process of government in which decisions and activities by decision makers are available to widespread scrutiny. With the busyness of modern government and the range and noise, and some would say near frenzy, of media activity particularly in the areas of sport and pop culture, the importance of bringing to public attention government-related activities, especially if they have a byzantine character, is as important as the defence of the rule of law, the latter itself under threat by the need to deal with terrorist threats. The achievement of [relatively speaking] good governance is never finally won but a dynamic that requires constant vigilance for its continuation.

Contributor: Tom Wells. Sempringham [ehistory.org.uk] eLearning Office.