Imagine if the news media, journalism or "the press" went on vacation. What do you thinks would occur in a true democracy?
In terms of historical value, the term reportedly appeared during a parliamentary debate in 1787 on the opening up of press reporting of the House of Commons of Great Britain. The Fifth Estate is a socio-cultural reference to bloggers, journalists, and non-mainstream media outlets.
These terms play a significant role in shaping the course of politics, and viewed as an important force in government, it has been in relation to the other three traditional estates of the church, the nobility, and the townsmen, or commoners.
The importance of the press in a representative democracy is twofold: it informs the citizen and also serves as a feedback loop between the government and voters.
https://freedomhouse.org/report-types/freedom-press Got it? Hold on to it, defend it and never let it go!
Trump releases 'media accountability survey' http://usat.ly/2bk3CYB via @usatoday