Question

Which of the following is/are considered as the fourth pillar of democracy in the modern period?
A.Periodicals
B.Newspapers
C.Encyclopedias
D.Documents in Archives

Answer 1

Hint:Democracy is described as the government of the people, by the people and for the people with the help of the elected leaders. The merit or the advantage of the democratic system is that it gives freedom of expression and the space is given to each individual which is freely given by the media.

Complete answer:
 Democracy is balanced by the three pillars of democracy which are the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary. Along with the three, there is also another important pillar at present which is the Media.
Media is a platform which helps the people to be aware about various social, political and economic activities. It also works like a mirror to the world by reflecting the true and harsh realities of the world because the media is such a platform in which people always trust on actual and honest news. However, on the other hand, many inaccurate news due to paid news syndrome and disguised news leads to loss of democracy.
India is the biggest market in the world of media and in the fourth pillar of democracy having over 82237 newspapers and more than 900 television news channels running all over the country in different languages. Nowadays many social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter and Instagram etc are inclined towards sharing both news and entertainment.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note:Media serves as a building block of democracy especially for a mixed economy like India. The freedom of press is a fundamental right which allows for freedom of speech and expression to the citizens. It also includes the press print as well the electronic media.