Dear Patriots,

First of all, we’re up to 28 pages this issue. That’s pretty incredible, considering that last year we started out with 16. We couldn’t have done it without you.

We’re also trying out a new format for our cover. I hope you like it!

This Monday (9/17) is Constitution Day. As a government major and a student journalist, I feel some obligation to talk about the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Freedom of the Press relates to a question I hear quite often: “what does Fourth Estate mean?”

Going back to traditional European governments, the three estates of government were the clergy, the nobility and the commoners. In later democracies, the concept refers to the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the government.

Basically, the term “fourth estate” refers to the unofficial fourth branch of the government—the press. In a society where press freedom is an essential institution, the idea of the press serving a major role in society is more important than ever.

Other things to look out for in this issue are our new advice column, “Ask Ivy,” our features on substance abuse on campus and the issues at Chipotle, and our coverage of the WNBA championship (for which we took our own pictures).

As always, reach out to me at masonfourthestate@gmail.com if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Sincerely,

Alexander Shedd

Editor-in-Chief