The Fourth Estate

OVER the past few decades there has been a decline in the quality of media and perceptions around the media’s primary task. A large portion of the formerly prestigious fourth estate has perpetually degraded itself through its love and pursuit of controversy. The key tenet of the media, in my understanding, is to provide the public with information to which it would otherwise not be privy. The media was never established to pass judgment on people, it was not founded to take political positions and throw its support behind one person or another and it certainly was not founded to hound people and harass until a story was obtained.


Something horrible happened somewhere along the line that changed the media from an institution that served the people to becoming a self-righteous institution that passes judgment and selects who to sanctify and who to castigate and bring down. I have never been a fan of the ugly side of the media, the inherent need to sell newspapers, magazines or raise viewership by pursuing angles which were controversial or “spicy”.

There have been nasty examples of the media’s appetite for the ugly both locally and internationally. Michael Jackson was a criminal in the eyes of large sects of the media until he died; Edward Kennedy was often castigated for his “unsavoury” habits before he died; Tiger Woods has recently felt the wrath of the supposedly objective observers – the list goes on. Here at home, Jacob Zuma has had to face a media which is not in favour of his presidency and continues to sensationalise any wrong move he makes. Despite the fact that he has not been convicted of any crime the media in this country persists in hounding him and attacking him personally through op-eds and stories which lack substance but come attached with screaming headlines.

I suppose an apt question at this point would be, “Aren’t you part of the media?” The answer is yes I am, but I do not have any affection or regard for the ugly part of the media which is obsessed with creating stories where there are none, simply to generate income and interest. There was a time when being a journalist was something to be proud of, something to put at the top of your CV; nowadays the profession is in an embarrassing state. To be called a journalist is as great an insult as to be called a vagabond, for both are unfortunate and shameful dispositions.
The advent of tabloids and the unrestricted filth they publish and call acceptable has hastened the fall from grace of a once vaunted profession. British news outlets in particular seem to have no regard whatsoever for ethics or morals. Some newspapers match the quality of tabloids thereby creating confusion over whether it’s a newspaper or a tabloid.

Freedom of speech has so many different interpretations nowadays that it’s hard to keep up. Some journalists even believe that illegal acts should be protected under that act, as was evident when the Sunday Times illegally acquired Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s health records. Drawing profane political satire cartoon such as Jonathan Shapiro does for a living is rewarded in the media realm and applauded for being “brave” and “wonderfully refreshing”. I do not share those sentiments and believe that these people and their various media houses represent an affront to society.
I am not proposing that the media should be muzzled or regulated but I believe that more should be done to ensure that the media stay within the ambit of its foundational purpose; namely to provide objective information. We cannot advocate for the protection of people who flout laws in the name of freedom of speech such as eTV did a few months ago. The media is not above the law and when it is out of order it should be responsible enough to admit it and deal with the consequences rather than hide behind freedom of speech.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “If we can enlighten the people generally, then evils and the oppression of mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.” That statement wonderfully describes what the media should seek to pursue. In his day I’m sure all the media cared about was the truth rather than sensationalism. How lovely it must have been to have lived back then.

Written by Tatenda Goredema, the Deputy Editor of Varsity Newspaper.