The Fourth Estate

"By the end of the 19th century, newspapers had attained such influence in public affairs that the press was labelled the 'Fourth Estate' on a par with the three estates that had controlled society since the dawn of civilization - the church, the rulers and the people," explains de Jong. "With the invention of wireless transmission, a proliferation of mass communication methods emerged in the 20th century, greatly increasing the command of the media and putting virtually every individual on earth within reach."

"Today, journalism is such a persuasive factor in opinion building, that no person, group or business can claim immunity or afford to under-estimate the ability of the fourth estate to affect their fortunes – either for better or for worse," says Van der Riet. "Those who exclude public relations from their marketing mix are failing to maximise their marketing Rands."