Fourth estate

What is more barbarous than to see a nation […] where justice is lawfully denied him, that hath not wherewithall to pay for it; and that this merchandize hath so great credit, that in a politicall government there should be set up a fourth estate [tr. quatriesme estat] of Lawyers, breathsellers and pettifoggers […]

“Of what profession is Mr. Archer?” “Of the Corporation of the Goosequill—of the Press, my boy,” said Warrington; “of the fourth estate.”

The fourth estate is a term to describe the power that journalists and news media have to keep the powers of government in check by informing the citizens. The way citizens have received news and information has always evolved, but throughout that whole time, having an informed audience was seen as a necessity to a functioning democracy. The newspaper itself has been dying for a while, even before social media, all thanks to 24-hour news.