Theories Of Authoritarian Theory

The Libertarian theory or Free Press theory is one of the “Normative theories of press”. The theory originally came from libertarian thoughts from 16th century in Europe. It is an exact opposite of the authoritarian theory. Watson (2000) its first principle is that the free press is servant to none but its readership in its task of informing, educating and entertaining. It is believed that International trade and urbanization undermine the power of a rural aristocracy which leads various social movements like the Protestants reformation, which demands individual’s freedom and their own lives and free thoughts. Liberalism means information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Free expression from any authority, unchecked by censorship – internal

In the book “Four theories of Press” (Siebert, Peterson and Schramm) it’s been stated that “pure libertarianism is antiquated, out dated and obsolete.” That paved way for replacement of Libertarian theory with the Social responsibility theory. Social responsibility theory allows free press without any censorship but at the same time the content of the press should be discussed in public panel and media should accept any obligation from public interference or professional self regulations or both. The theory lies between both authoritarian theory and libertarian theory because it gives total media freedom in one hand but the external controls in other hand. Here, the press ownership is private and media have an obligation to the public that amount to a form of public stewardship. The social responsibility theory moves beyond the simple “Objective” reporting (facts reporting) to “Interpretative” reporting (investigative reporting). The theory links with the democratic process and the media are guardians of that process, vigilant on behalf of the citizens, with a duty to be honest and fair to all. The theory balances the claims for freedom with the need for responsibility. It urges that in public interest, in the interest of true representation, both sides of a case should be stated. Professionalism was created in the media by setting up a high level of accuracy, truth, and information. The commission of press council also included some tasks based on social responsibility of media, which are as