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It might be news to you that the term fourth estate has been around for centuries. In Europe, going back to medieval times, the people who participated in the political life of a country were generally divided into three classes or estates. In England they were the three groups with representation in Parliament, namely, the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. Some other group, like the mob or the public press, that had an unofficial but often great influence on public affairs, was called the fourth estate. In the 19th century, fourth estate came to refer exclusively to the press, and now it's applied to all branches of the news media.
Examples of fourth estate in a Sentence
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 Aug. 2010
Defense lawyer Audrey Eu argued Monday that the charges were unconstitutional and that the media has a duty as the fourth estate to report.
—Selina Cheng, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2022
The directors’ decision to focus on the fourth estate in democracies as opposed to autocracies was a deliberate choice.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 8 June 2022
Also getting the golden ticket are several members of the fourth estate.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for fourth estate 
Dictionary Entries Near fourth estate
Cite this Entry
“Fourth estate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth%20estate. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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