¶ … Media in America as the Fourth Estate: From Watergate to the Present
During the 1970's, the role of the media changed from simply reporting the news to revealing serious political scandals (Waisbord, 2001). The media's role during Watergate was viewed as the mirror that reflected the most that journalism could offer to democracy: holding powers accountable for their actions. This became a trend in the American media and journalism had high credibility in the years that followed, and a great increase in journalism school enrollment followed.
However, during the 1980's and 1990's, this trend withered away. Investigative journalism is no longer rampant the firmament of American news. While the tone of the press was self-congratulatory in the post-Watergate years, the state of American journalism is currently viewed in a less positive light.
For the elite, the shift in journalism is welcomed. For example, according to John Dean, an American journalist, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have suggested that the presidency was weakened by Watergate. "No one has watched the impact of Watergate on government more closely than yours truly," said Dean (2002). "I wrote a book, Lost Honor, examining the impact of Watergate ten years after the events. And I do not believe Watergate can possibly justify the secrecy arguments that are being made now. If anything, it justifies openness."
The Role of the Media
The role of the news media in modern society involves more than just news coverage (Coronel, 2000). The Fourth Estate is considered one of the most important parts of the check-and-balance system created by the U.S. Constitution. News media have a responsibility to be the eyes and ears of the public. Sometimes, the media even acts as the voice of the public. The media is obliged to tell the general public what the public institutions are doing and to convey our concerns to these institutions in the form of commentary.
Politics and the Media
The world learns much of what it knows through the filter of the media, which includes television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. What the public is told and how media messages are conveyed shapes the public's views, goals and plans. In this light, the media has a great deal of influence.
The (First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees protection of freedom of speech and freedom of the press Coronel, 2000). In the United States, the media is often referred to as the fourth branch of government (or "Fourth Estate," as it monitors the political process in an attempt to make sure that political players do not abuse the democratic process (Coronel, 2001). When media workers uncover dishonesty or abuses of power, they are expected to report it to the public.
Many people call the media the fourth estate because it plays such an important role in the outcome of political candidates and issues. For this reason, the role of the media is often controversial. News reporting should be objective, but journalists often display personal opinions that affect their reports.
How Watergate Changed the Role of the Media
On June 17, 1972, police caught five men trespassing in the offices of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the Watergate office complex (Selfa, 2002). The burglars, led by former CIA agent James McCord, were not after money or valuables. Rather, they were attempting to plant listening devices in the DNC offices.
The team of burglars was part of a top-secret unit organized out of the White House by Nixon administration operative E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, the director of "security" for the Committee to Re-Elect the President, Nixon's private campaign organization (Selfa, 2002).
Nixon told Liddy and Hunt to hire the team of burglars to track down administration leaks to the press. When the group was caught at the Watergate, the White House attempted shut down the investigation, paying Hunt, Liddy and the burglars to remain quiet.
However, the Watergate story led journalists to engage in acts of political espionage. For example, Donald Segretti, one of the burglars, was exposed for political "dirty tricks" against Democrats, such as leaking false stories to the media to slander Nixon's opponents in the 1972 election.
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