The Fourth Estate Under Siege: The Making of a Democratic Institution and Its Pressing Challenges

第四權的困境：一個關鍵民主機制的形塑與其當前困境

廿一世紀的新聞媒體可謂四面楚歌。一方面，願意付費閱讀、收聽或收視的消費者越來越少，而搶食廣告大餅的競爭者又越來越多，使多數媒體都在財務上十分吃緊。在另一方面，近年來社會各界又對新聞報導品質的不斷下滑迭有怨言。一個本來在現代民主社會裡扮演重要角色、甚至因此博得第四權封號的關鍵機制，似乎正在吾人的眼前逐漸生鏽、退化當中。 究竟新聞媒體在當世面臨的是何等困境及其成因，是本文企圖探索的課題。首先，本文將描繪新聞媒體與民主社會的理想關係──究竟新聞自由與由此而來的各種保障甚至特權，是為了讓新聞媒體扮演好什麼樣的角色，而社會大眾對此等角色的期待又是如何。其次的章節將從新聞媒體在十九世紀從一個普通產業，逐步發展出其公益性格的這段過程，指出促成此等蛻變的幾個關鍵決策與環境因素，以及因此而形成的潛在危險。再其次，本文將說明過去二十多年來的兩項重要發展──解除管制之浪潮與資通訊科技之發達──如何促使前述的潛在危險浮上檯面。最後，本文將剖析因為前述的發展，在當前的環境下，對新聞媒體主要民主機能的發揮，究竟有那些主要的障礙。廿一世紀的新聞媒體可謂四面楚歌。一方面，願意付費閱讀、收聽或收視的消費者越來越少，而搶食廣告大餅的競爭者又越來越多，使多數媒體都在財務上十分吃緊。在另一方面，近年來社會各界又對新聞報導品質的不斷下滑迭有怨言。一個本來在現代民主社會裡扮演重要角色、甚至因此搏得第四權封號的關鍵機制，似乎正在吾人的眼前逐漸生鏽、退化當中。 究竟新聞媒體在當世面臨的是何等困境及其成因，是本文企圖探索的課題。首先，本文將描繪新聞媒體與民主社會的理想關係──究竟新聞自由與由此而來的各種保障甚至特權，是為了讓新聞媒體扮演好什麼樣的角色，而社會大眾對此等角色的期待又是如何。其次的章節將從新聞媒體在十九世紀從一個普通產業，逐步發展出其公益性格的這段過程，指出促成此等蛻變的幾個關鍵決策與環境因素，以及因此而形成的潛在危險。再其次，本文將說明過去二十多年來的兩項重要發展──解除管制之浪潮與資通訊科技之發達──如何促使前述的潛在危險浮上檯面。最後，本文將剖析因為前述的發展，在當前的環境下，對新聞媒體主要民主機能的發揮，究竟有哪些主要的障礙。

The press—or the media in its current incarnation—is under siege in the twenty-first century. Financially most firms are heavily stretched, due to ever increasing competition for advertising revenue as well as gradual but unmistakable decline in paid subscription. Social-politically they are often criticized for slipping journalistic standard and professional ethics. The “Fourth Estate” as we know it—the vital institution in a democratic society that provides “organized, expert scrutiny of government”—is waning before our eyes. This article aims to answer why the health of the news media industry is deteriorating. It starts with a concise profile of the idealized press, one that could live up to the epithet “Fourth Estate.” It would also explain what legal protection and other perquisites afforded to such a precious institution, as well as what is expected in return. What follows is a series of historical accounts intended to highlight a few critical decisions that, together with stages of social change, helped the press grow into its free and uninhibited self. The subsequent sections shift the spotlight to an undercurrent that has lurked from day one—the unease of entrusting a vital public service to private media. Social and economic development in the last two decades—thanks to, among other things, media ownership deregulation and growing popularity of the Internet—has further exacerbated the situation. It has been a strenuous battle for public interest-minded news media to stay true to its democratic commitment.