“The term Fourth Estate … refers to the press and news media in their explicit capacity, beyond the reporting of news, of wielding influence in politics,” Wikipedia states.

As President George W. Bush has been quoted, “I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy, that we need an independent media to hold people like me to account. Power can very addictive, and it can be corrosive. And it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”

The above serves as important signpost as we recently have finished a municipal election cycle. 

Yet, we must ask how Maine’s (monopolistic) media landscape is to properly discharge its duty as the Fourth Estate and as guardian of transparency, accountability and truth to power. Also, the Fourth Estate, political campaigns and most of the citizenry were all but happy to contribute to the ever-expanding electoral cycle that the 2026 elections have become in 2025. 

We all but have to look at the Lewiston municipal election for evidence of this phenomenon. What bandwidth that the 2026 elections did not consume, and was not taken by the referendums, left very little to no room for candidates for the City Council or the School Committee. 

Are we to believe that the Sun Journal only received letters in support of Julia Harper, Marcel LeClair, Meghan Hird and Ben Daley?

Matthew Roy
Lewiston