The press is sometimes called the fourth estate. That is 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 those of government, the legislature, the executive, religion or commerce. It is, or should be, an outsider.
Stanley Baldwin did not intend it as a compliment when he said of newspapers in 1931 that they 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 is not the job of journalists to run things: they are literally without responsibility. They don’t have to respond to a party whip, make the compromises necessary in politics or answer to shareholders. They are not bound by the confidentiality agreements that bind others. They are careless of causing inconvenience or embarrassment. They do not 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. They come from a different place.
Internet: <http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu> (adapted).
