Another common way of defining the media’s role is to say that it acts as the fourth estate, or the unofficial fourth branch of government that checks the others. The mass media serve as powerful guardians of political norms because the free press should keep the public informed about the wrongdoings of government.

In order for the press to fulfill this important role, however, countries must protect the freedom of the press—and some countries do a better job than others.

watchdog — the role of the press to act as a check on the government to make sure that it is appropriately serving its purpose. fourth estate — a term for the media that casts it as an unofficial fourth branch of government that checks the other branches of government. press — also important because it serves as an information conduit between the government and the people. mediated information — information that is not received directly from the source, such as the government, but comes via a third party, such as the media.