“Yonder sits the Fourth Estate…”

“…and they are more important than them all.” It’s true. The members of the Fourth Estate – journalists – play an incredibly important role in the American political process. Politics wouldn’t be as engaging, as divisive, as relevant, or as defiant without the help and hindrance of the press, who chronicle and catalog the goings-on in political centers across the world. They are the key holders to elite, sometimes locked, and oftentimes blockaded, fortresses. They possess the power to spring open those doors and shine light into dark quarters. The citizens of this country place arguably more trust in the work of a journalist than they do their own representatives, senators, executives and judges. The role that the press takes in the political process will be the focus of my posts; as a student of journalism and a teacher of broadcast journalism, I have a keen interest in the behavior of the press and its role in current American society. I shall try dutifully to bring to light certain acts of journalism that are worthy of discussion and I hope that you, dear reader, will contribute your thoughts as well.