Explanation:

• Journalism has long been regarded as an important force in government, so vital to the functioning of a democracy that it has been portrayed as an integral component of democracy itself.
• In 1841, Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all”.
• Democracy requires informed citizens.
• No governing body can be expected to operate well without knowledge of the issues on which it is to rule, and rule by the people entails that the people should be informed.
• In a representative democracy, the role of the press is twofold: it both informs citizens and sets up a feedback loop between the government and voters.
• The press makes the actions of the government known to the public, and voters who disapprove of current trends in policy can take corrective action in the next election.
• Without the press, the feedback loop is broken and the government is no longer accountable to the people.
• The press is therefore of the utmost importance in a representative democracy