Starting at the American revolution and continuing to present day, journalism and significant historical events have been intertwined to the point that Rodger Streitmatter, author of “Mightier than the Sword”, refers to journalism as the “fourth estate”. Like all major institutions in history, the media has played an enormous role in shaping social conventions. That is not to say the the news media was always on the right side of history. While many news outlets took a progressive stands for African-American rights and reformed corruption in 1920s America with the Muckrakers, at times the news media prevented the success of progressive movements – as was the case with anti-semitic propaganda and slowing the Women’s Rights Movement. The news media was integral in the progression or standstill of progressive movements.
Yet, as we look to the history of journalism, it’s also important to look to the future – as Streitmatter does in the final chapter of his book. He leaves us with the uplifting idea that “journalism that’s substantive in content and strong in backbone ultimately will succeed, prosper, and serve a democratic people well.” However, with the decline of paper readership and the decline of public programming viewership in favor of online news sources, it seems that journalism may be a dying art. The Watergate Scandal was a showcase of exceptional investigative journalism and the principle of holding the government accountable to the people; ergo the diminished the role of the traditional media may perhaps be a factor in the rise of corruption and scandal – we are not feeding our watchdog, so how can we expect it to bark at the sign of trouble – and it is now more than ever that we need our fourth estate to keep our government democratic and accountable to the people.

Deciding to major in creative writing has come with many challenges. Too often people ask me why I’ve “done this to myself,” what on earth am I going to do with this degree, why did you just pick journalism… it’s the same thing isn’t it. As much as the introductory journalism class was integral in convincing me to transfer to the College of Media and give journalism a try, it is not remotely because it is the same as creative writing.

In the modern age, journalism has turned sensationalism. At times, especially with the rise of social media, journalism seems to focus on people who are famous merely for being famous, alternative facts, and reporting what could be news instead of what needs to be reported. Learning more about how history has interacted with journalism, in combination with the principles and values that journalism should ideally uphold, I have realized that journalism and the news media is indeed the fourth estate.

Journalism is an institution with as much prowess and power as the federal government, the catholic church, and a viral facebook video. Without journalism, it’s almost completely certain that the world would not be the way it is. My opinion on journalism? It is so necessary in a world that seems new on the brink of war due to constant feeds of unsubstantiated or “alternative” facts that influence the minds of the readers that people step up and write in a way that’s loyal to the values of journalism that, in a way, are as fundamental as the Constitution. My only hope is that one day I can have the privilege of doing that.