Open AccessAmerican Media
Author(s) -
Tyler Dawson
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the agora
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1927-4793
DOI - 10.29173/agora12405
Subject(s) - fourth estate , mandate , government (linguistics) , supreme court , state (computer science) , political science , power (physics) , media relations , estate , law , sociology , law and economics , media studies , politics , computer science , philosophy , linguistics , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics
This paper discusses the state of the American media in the decade following 9/11. A framework is crafted from the work of previous media theorists and the writing of the Supreme Court of the United States to understand the specific role of the fourth estate in American society. Once this is accomplished, this paper re-evaluates the success of the media in fulfilling its constitutional role, arguing that the media was, in fact, less deferential to the government line than many critics suggest, particularly following the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Finally, the case is made that institutionalised media is necessary to provide a check on government power, and the expansion of democratized news can only fulfil this mandate to a certain extent.