Credible news

I contribute to a weekly magazine, so I am in the Fourth Estate. But I have also started a blog, so I am also in the Fifth Estate. The Fourth Estate was the term used by Edmund Burke, a British politician, as quoted by Scottish philosopher- writer Thomas Carlyle in his book, On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History. Burke referred to the reporters covering the Parliament as the Fourth Estate. He said the reporters were more important than the three other Estates—the king or the royals, the clergy, and the commoners.

Apparently, Burke was referring to the power of media, the journalists who enjoy press freedom as they serve as watchdogs of society. But with mounting complaints about biased journalists, people now more and more trust the free bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media. This new group is now called the Fifth Estate. Still, the Fifth Estate is not exempt from abuses, as people do have their own agenda.

So where can we go for the truth? Where can we get reliable news that we can truly believe in? In our times, there is one source that hasn't changed and will forever be true. The Good News of Jesus Christ reported over 2,000 years ago has stood the test of time.

Cynthia U. Santiago