Normative Theories of
Mass Communication
MCOM 301: Media Law & Ethics
Normative Theory
• It is a type of theory that describes
an ideal way of the media should be
structured and operated within the
society
What is Normative Theory ?
• This theory explains how ideal media
ought to operate with specific system
of social values. Theories of the press
and its role in a society would fit in
this category.
• It is a synthesis of ideas developed
over the past four centuries.
Four Theories of the Press
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Siebert, Peterson & Schramn (1956)
proposed that the press system is
divided into four categories:
1. Authoritarian Theory
2. Libertarian Theory
3. Social Responsibility Theory
4. Soviet-Totalitarian Theory
Normative Theories
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The Four theories of the press are the
Normative theories i.e . These theories were
based on observations and not from
hypotheses testing.
The authors (Siebert, Peterson & Schramm,
1956) divided the world’s press into four
categories as mentioned above.
1. Authoritarian Theory
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
16th & 17th century England. Widely
adopted and still in practice in many
places.
B. PHILOSOPHY:
Philosophy of absolute monarch, his
government or both.
1. Authoritarian Theory
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
To support and advance the policies
of the government in power and to
serve the state.
D. WHO HAS THE RIIGHT TO USE
THE MEDIA:
Whoever get the royal patent or
similar permission.
1. Authoritarian Theory
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E. HOW ARE THE MEDIA
CONTROLLED?
Government patents , guilds, licensing,
sometimes censorship.
F. WHAT IS PROHBITED?
Criticism of the political machinery and
officials in power.
1. Authoritarian Theory
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G. OWNERSHIP:
Private or public
H. ESSENTIAL DIFERENCE FROM
OTHERS:
Instrument for effecting government
policy , through not necessary
government owned.
2. Libertarian Theory
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
Adopted by England after 1688 and in
the U.S. Influential elsewhere.
B. PHILOSOPHY:
Writing of Milton, Loke, Mill and
general philosophy or rationalism and
natural rights.
2. Libertarian Theory
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
To inform, entertain, sell – but chiefly
to help discover truth and to check on
the government.
D. WHO HAS THE RIIGHT TO USE
THE MEDIA:
Anyone with economic means to do so
2. Libertarian Theory
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E. HOW ARE THE MEDIA
CONTROLLED?
By ‘self right process of truth’ in ‘free
market place of ideas’ and by courts.
F. WHAT IS PROHBITED?
Defamation, obscenity, indecency,
wartime sedition
2. Libertarian Theory
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G. OWNERSHIP:
Chiefly private
H. ESSENTIAL DIFERENCE FROM
OTHERS:
Instrument for checking on
government and meeting other needs
of society
Strength & Weakness of
Libertarianism
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STRENGTH:
Value media freedom.
Values individuals.
Preclude (prevent from happening)
government control of media
Strength & Weakness of
Libertarianism
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WEAKNESS
It is overly optimistic about media
willingness to meet responsibilities.
It is overly optimistic about individuals’
ethics and rationality.
Ignores the need for reasonable control of
media.
Ignores the dilemmas posed by conflicting
freedoms (e.g free press vs personal
privacy)
3. Social Responsibility
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
In the U.S. in the 20th century
B. PHILOSOPHY
Writing of W.E. Hocking. Commission
on freedom of Press, and practitioners
, media codes
3. Social Responsibility
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
To inform, entertain, sell but chiefly to
raise conflict to the plane of
discussion.
D. WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO USE
THE MEDIA:
Everyone who has something to say
3. Social Responsibility
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E. HOW ARE THE MEDIA
CONTROLLED?
Community opinion, consumers action,
professional ethics.
F. WHAT IS PROHBITED?
Serious intervention of recognized
private rights and vital social interests
3. Social Responsibility
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G. OWNERSHIP:
Private unless government has to take over
to ensure public service.
H. ESSENTIAL DIFERENCE FROM
OTHERS:
Media must assume obligation of social
responsibility and if they do not, someone
must see that they do
Strength & Weakness of
the Social Responsbility
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STRENGTH
Values media responsibility
Value audience responsibility
Limit media intrusion in media
operation
Allows reasonable government control
of media
Strength & Weakness of
the Social Responsbility
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Values diversity and pluralism
Aids the ‘powerless’
Appeals to the best instincts of media
practitioners and audience
Strength & Weakness of
the Social Responsbility
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WEAKNESSES
It is overly optimistic about media
willingness to meet responsibility.
It is overly optimistic about individual
responsibility.
Underestimate the power of profit
motivation & competition.
Legitimizes status quo
4. Soviet Totalitarian
Theory
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
In Soviet Union, although some of the same
things were done by Nazis & Italians.
B. PHILOSOPHY:
Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist thought, with
mixture of Hagel and the 19 century Russian
thinking.
4. Soviet Totalitarian
Theory
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
To continue to the success and continuance
of the Soviet Socialist System especially that
led to the dictatorship of the party.
D. WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO USE THE
MEDIA:
Loyal and orthodox party members
4. Soviet Totalitarian
Theory
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E. HOW ARE THE MEDIA
CONTROLLED?
Surveillance and economic or political
action of government
F. WHAT IS PROHBITED?
Criticism of the party objectives as
distinguish from tactics
4. Soviet Totalitarian
Theory
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G. OWNERSHIP:
Public
H. ESSENTIAL DIFERENCE FROM
OTHERS:
State owned and closely controlled
media existing solely as arms of eh
state.
5. Democratic–Participant
Media Theory
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
Democratic–Participant theory reflects public
disillusionment with both of its
predecessors: Libertarian and Social
Responsibility theories, because of their
failure to deliver social benefits expected of
them.
5. Democratic–Participant
Media Theory
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B. PHILOSOPHY:
It reflects public “reaction against the
commercialisation and monopolisation of
privately owned media and against the
centralism and bureaucratisation of public
broadcasting institutions
5. Democratic–Participant
Media Theory
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
In the place of monopolisation, it calls for
pluralism;
in place of centralism it advocates
decentralisation and localism.
It insists that media conglomerates be
replaced or at least juxtaposed with smallscale media enterprises.
5. Democratic–Participant
Media Theory
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C. MAIN PURPOSE:
It calls for “horizontal” in place of “topdown” communication, a concern for
feedback in social-political communication
and an
acknowledgement of the feedback so as to
realise the “completed communication
circuit”
It assumes equality between sender and
receiver
6. Development Media
Theory
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A. DEVELOPMENT:
This theory seeks to explain the normative
behaviour of the press in countries that are
conventionally
classified
together
as
“developing countries” or “third world
countries”.
It, too, is not easy to locate in any particular
institution
or
country,
because
it
encompasses a great variety of fluctuating
economic and political conditions
6. Development Media
Theory
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Major Tenets:
Media must accept and carry out positive
development tasks in line with nationally
established policy.
Freedom of the media should be open to
economic priorities and development needs
of the society.
Media should give priority in their content to
the national culture and language(s).
6. Development Media
Theory
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Major Tenets:
Media should give priority in news and
information to links with other developing
countries, which are close geographically,
culturally or politically.
Journalists and other media workers have
responsibilities as well a freedom in their
information gathering and dissemination
tasks.
6. Development Media
Theory
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Major Tenets:
In the interest of development ends, the
state has a right to intervene in, or restrict,
media operation; and devices of censorship,
subsidy and direct control can be justified.