This chapter examines the role of the newspaper, and of public opinion, in a political society that frequently described and defined itself as advanced and progressive, and which was apparently moving inexorably towards democracy. Yet while the press was often seen as crucial to this process—as a liberating, inclusive, and representative agent—it could often serve equally as a mechanism of political control and influence. Historians have written of ‘educational ideals’ and the growing professionalization of journalism, but there is clearly no simple characterization of the press. Examining how the perceived role of the press has changed over 200 years, taking account of the views of owners and editors, politicians, and readers, the chapter considers the political functions of the press and, more widely, how the so-called fourth estate has impacted on and shaped political change in modern Britain.