The Fourth Estate: Journalism Bringing Truth to Citizens

by EMILY KURTZ

The free press is often referred to as the Fourth Estate or fourth branch of government beyond the traditional three branches in the United States. Free press and the First Amendment were created in order to bring truth to citizens and hold the government accountable under a democracy (Dear & Scott 2015, 13).

The job of the journalist is to perform the “watchdog function” by seeking the higher truth and reporting, no matter how difficult this task might be. The ethics of journalism work to ensure that the information provided through reporting is accurate, fair, and consistent. This is critical in the profession because journalists must act with integrity in order for the Fourth Estate to properly influence and frame political issues (SPJ 2014). Journalism bridges the gap between society and authority, making ethical standing imperative. The trust that a journalist gains through abiding by the guiding ethical principles is a journalist’s credibility and livelihood.

Yet, a new era has been defined in news media according to Dear and Scott (2015). The internet has proven to be quite useful for citizen science and fast-paced journalism, delivering information to the public more quickly than ever (Wyss 2019, 193). However, new mediums and technological innovations surrounding journalism have also made it easier than ever for the public to share false information, allowing the idea of the Fourth Estate and ethical journalism to be threatened by the spread of what some are calling “fake news”. In UNESCO’s Facebook Live video titled Journalism, “Fake News” and Disinformation, Julie Posetti clearly states that news simply is not news if it is fake; therefore, the term “fake news” is wrong. Instead, the spread of disinformation, misinformation, and “malinformation” are the variations of false media that are discrediting journalists in the public eye.

Because communicating science information to the public is often difficult to begin with, the spread of false information, intentionally or unintentionally, can have major implications on environmental journalism and the role it is meant to play in society. Circulation of false information regarding environmental topics can confuse and even dissuade the public from taking action. Breaking down public trust of environmental journalism will lead to even more uncertainty in the public toward already complex environmental issues.

But all is not lost. With the new era of media come those who wish to combat the spread of false information. For example, Climate Feedback is a fact-checking network of scientists who sort out the truth in climate change media and news coverage. Fact-checking networks and organizations such as Climate Feedback are working to keep the public informed on which sources to trust in this changing time of news media and journalism. Accurate information and ethical journalism is essential to upholding the Fourth Estate. Journalists and scientists alike will continue to battle to inform and enlighten the public about the most pressing topic of our time: the environment.

One example of this comes from an investigative piece California Knew the Carr Wildfire Could Happen. It Failed to Prevent it. by Keith Schneider at ProPublica concerning the wildfires that took place last year in California. Not only did this journalist discuss the imminent danger of these fires due to climate change, but he also uncovered the systematic failure of the government in California to take steps to avoid the catastrophe. His work brought truth to the citizens of California and forced city officials to rethink how they will manage fire disasters in the future. This is just one of many examples of the way that journalists can shape politics concerned with the environment. As long as the fourth estate still exists, citizens will be brought the truth about the most critical environmental issues of our time.   

Sources:

Climate Feedback. 2019. Online access: https://climatefeedback.org/. Accessed August 28, 2019.

Dear, J & Scott, F. 2015. The Responsible Journalist: An Introduction to News Reporting and Writing. Oxford University Press. Print.

Society of Professional Journalists. 2014. “SPJ Code of Ethics” Online access: https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp. Accessed August 28, 2019.

UNESCO. 2018. “Journalism, ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation”. Online access: https://en.unesco.org/fightfakenews. Accessed August 28, 2019.

Schneider, K. 2018. California Knew the Carr Wildfire Could Happen. It Failed to Prevent it. ProPublica Online access: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-carr-wildfire- failed-to-prevent-it. Accessed September 9, 2019.

Wyss, B. 2019. Covering the environment: How journalists work the green beat. New York: Routledge. Print.