Securing the Informational Foundations of Democracy: Constitutional Protection of Journalism within the Quarta Politica as a Fourth Power

Journalism plays a structurally indispensable yet under-theorized role in democratic governance. This article situates journalism within a recalibrated constitutional architecture in which the Quarta Politica—conceptualized as an Ombudsman Council—constitutes a fourth power alongside the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, endowed with distinct coercive authority oriented toward systemic correction and participatory accountability. Within this framework, journalism is not a separate power but a constitutionally protected function that secures the informational conditions upon which all four powers depend. By producing, verifying, and disseminating public information, journalism sustains accountability, enables informed participation, and facilitates collective judgment. The article reconceptualizes democracy as dependent on three interrelated dimensions: the distribution of coercive authority, the institutionalization of participatory oversight, and the integrity of the informational environment. It demonstrates that journalism performs a non-substitutable role as an early-warning and accountability-generating mechanism. Under conditions of digital transformation, platform dominance, and media fragility, these informational foundations are increasingly at risk. The article therefore advances a calibrated framework for the constitutional protection of journalism—grounded in independence, sustainability, and accountability—embedded within the Quarta Politica. A comparative perspective, including Global South contexts, underscores the generalizability of this approach across diverse democratic settings.