Media and Conflict: The Fifth Estate?

The Daily Show, Crossfire, and the Will to Truth


“TDS sets a new standard for journalism, by essentially doing a better job than does the mainstream media.”


Most Communication Studies students have heard that “journalism is the fourth estate.” If Dr. Gina Lew or Ron Bon did not sear it into your subconscious, here is a quick review: The idea behind “journalism being the fourth estate” is that journalism is the unofficial “fourth branch” of government. Journalists are there to perform the “watchdog function” and make sure that the other three branches of government are doing their jobs. Journalists are supposed to ask the hard questions, get all of the information and inform the public. However, as Jon Stewart explained on Crossfire, journalists have not been performing their “forth estate” duties. They have not been adequately informing the public.


This is where The Daily Show comes in. Because news stations “fail miserably” (p.3) at accurately informing the public, The Daily Show has become a place where many Americans turn to get accurate, unbiased information. The Daily Show has turned into a “fifth estate” responsible for keeping journalists, the “fourth estate” in line.


Theoretically, The Daily Show could become like it’s news station counterparts and fall down the corporate rabbit hole as well (I mean they are apart of Viacom…) and then we would need a “sixth estate” to keep them in line. I guess I just want to know where it stops? 


We should be able to rely on the government’s moral compass and commitment to the people, but they don’t have the best track record (hence “the fourth estate”). So we should be able to rely on journalists’ moral compass and their commitment to the people, but they have also let us down. We are currently relying on Jon Stewarts moral compass and his commitment to an informed public (but that is not even his job). Is it unreasonable to believe in people in general? Will we all one day get sucked into the corporate rabbit hole too? As graduation is right around the corner, I keep wondering - where will we all be in a few years? Right now we all want to go out there and change the world and make it better (at least I hope we do), but I have to wonder, how long will it be before we too, get sucked into this cycle?