Saving the Fourth Estate - We must protect a free press

It was in 1787 that the Irish philosopher and statesman, Edmund Burke, first coined the phrase “the Fourth Estate” to describe the influence of the press on society.

More than 100 years later, his countryman Oscar Wilde lamented what he saw as the domination of journalism over the other three estates: the crown, the executive arm of government, and parliament. In modern times, that is now regarded as representing the government, parliament and the judiciary.