Toe Oscar Wilde die volgende kwytgeraak het:
In old days men had the rack. Now they have the press. That is an improvement certainly. But still it is very bad, and wrong, and demoralizing. Somebody — was it Burke? — called journalism the fourth estate. That was true at the time no doubt. But at the present moment it is the only estate. It has eaten up the other three. The Lords Temporal say nothing, the Lords Spiritual have nothing to say, and the House of Commons has nothing to say and says it. We are dominated by Journalism.
Kon hy nie nader aan die waarheid wees nie. Vandag is hierdie aanhaling steeds geldig, met die verskil dat ons nie meer gedomineer hoef te word deur joernalistiek nie – ons kan dit in die publiek uitmekaartrek, bevraagteken, apploudisseer, deel, haat of verafgod sonder om werklik 'n sent te spandeer om die boodskap uit te kry of 'n teikenmark daarvoor te vind.
(Eksperiment: Vervang the Lords Temporal met Die ANC, the Lords Spiritual met die kerk en the House of Commons met Julius Malema en Floyd Shivambu. Herhaal.)