<P> In the American political system, the unofficial fourth branch of government refers to a group that influences the other three branches of the US federal government defined in the American Constitution (Legislative, Executive and Judicial). Such groups can include the press (an analogy for the Fourth Estate), the people, and interest groups . US independent administrative government agencies, while technically part of the Executive branch (or, in a few cases, the Legislative branch) of government, may also be referred to as the fourth branch . </P> <P> The concept of the media or press as a fourth branch stems from a belief that the news media's responsibility to inform the populace is essential to the healthy functioning of the democracy . The phrase "Fourth Estate" may be used to emphasize the independence of the press particularly when this is contrasted with the press as a "fourth branch". </P> <P> Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, The People are the fourth branch via grand juries . The grand jury is mentioned in the Bill of Rights, but not in the body of the Constitution . It has not been textually assigned, therefore, to any of the branches described in the first three Articles". It "is a constitutional fixture in its own right". In fact the whole theory of its function is that it belongs to no branch of the institutional government, serving as a kind of buffer or referee between the Government and the people (United States v. Williams, 1992). </P>

Explain why some political scientists refer to the bureaucracy as the fourth branch of government