The public sphere is a public space which in the past was hard to reach since because there was little way to communicate with others far away from you. Due to media inventions like the printing press and the subsequent growth of literacy, more people are able to connect with each other to use the media in public interest.

Habermas believed that a functioning democracy needed a public voter base that was informed and debated on the issues of the day. Because of the conglomeration of media companies, the issues were filtered to the people through only a few sources. This is the opposite of plurality, which Habermas believes is a good thing that democracies need to function.

Media Watchdog – The idea that the media should act as a watchdog against the state to inform the people of what the government is doing.