The use of the Internet as a media content provider is firmly integrated into my life. I do not favor television or newspapers, as in my opinion, the information in them is highly infested with propaganda, and provocative speeches of questionable politicians or businessmen do not seem credible to me. So, the Internet remains a major media source to me – I use it extensively, searching for different perspectives on the issues that interest me or simply surfing the web to entertain myself. Investigative reporting sites like ProPublica, Frontline, or The Intercept are my favorites when it comes to reading and interpreting news, as well as keeping in touch with what is happening in the world. Vivian (2014) states that “these organizations are engaging in the most expensive and riskiest form of news reporting, the investigative story, which has been abandoned by many budget-strapped traditional media companies” (69). I fully agree with that statement, as it is the investigative reporters who take it upon themselves to provide people with truthful insights into the most concerning issues. Overall, my media consumption is quite extensive, as I use all of the Internet’s means to stay educated.
The Authoritarian Theory established responsibility to the ruling figure and the state they personified. The features of the Authoritarian Theory are clearly visible in openly dictatorial or repressive societies such as North Korea. Opposing the authoritative approach, the Libertarian Theory asserts freedom of the press from government control and even assumes the right of the press to control the government, independent of the three branches of the state structure. It is the dominating theory in the modern society, widespread in the USA, Canada and other first-world countries. The Theory of Social Responsibility of the press develops the Libertarian Theory in terms of the new conditions of concentration and monopolization of the press, putting forward the idea of a certain autonomy of the media from the owners. A good example of such autonomy is The Guardian newspaper in the UK. Lastly, The Soviet Totalitarian Theory develops an authoritarian approach to journalism as a propaganda and ideological tool in the hands of the communist party. Under Soviet theory, the functions of the media are reduced to agitation, propaganda and the organization of workers. The Soviet approach to the press is actively used by modern China.
Reference
Vivian, John. Media of Mass Communication: Pearson New International Edition. Pearson Education Limited, 2014.