Freedom of Expression

Page 508 (11th edition) of the textbook describes the "social responsibility model" of expression as a system in which the press functions as an unofficial branch of government which monitors the legislative, judicial and executive branches for abuses of power.   Do you believe this is true?
Also, while we think of our press as "free," describe a few of the limitations under which the press operates.

Yes, to an extent. A press in a democracy that is privately owned and separate from the government can act as an unofficial branch of government or according to the textbook a Fourth Estate. A privately-owned press has the power to exploit the government and keep them in check, but of course like almost anything it can be exploited. A government can work its way around the press, and people can be manipulated to spin stories or even do it for personal gain. So, it isn’t a perfect system. While we have the constitution that gives us a free press, there still are a couple of limitations to this freedom of the press. An example is a libel. According to the textbook, libel is making false statements about someone that can dramatically hurt their public image or damage their business. Libel is prohibited among the press, and according to the textbook those that use it can be sued for a libel suit which normally is enough to keep most in the press from doing it. Another example is copyright. Copyright is used to protect the works of music lyrics, books, movie scripts, and more. According to the textbook, copyright works are protected by the Copyright Act of 1790 which has been expanded on since then. Using any of the compositions without the creators’ permission can lead to some heavy fines, a backlash from audiences, and possibly the removal of one’s position. So even with a free press, it is still not legal to say or write anything.