Libertarian

Theory
IN MASS COMMUNICATION
Definition of Libertarian/
Libertarianism
 Libertarian
 : An advocate of the doctrine of free will
 : a person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially
of thought and action ; a member of a political party advocating
libertarian principles.

 Libertarianism
 : In the most general sense, libertarianism is a political philosophy
that affirms the rights of individuals to liberty, to acquire, keep, and
exchange their holdings, and considers the protection of individual
rights the primary role for the state.
 Libertarian theory or the Free Press Theory is one of
the Normative Theories of mass communication where
media or press is given absolute freedom to publish
anything at any time and acts as a watchdog.
 The theory came from the libertarian thoughts of Europe
during the 16th century after the invention of printing
press and after the press movement. It was advocated
by many renowned personalities like Lao Tzu, John
Locke, John Milton, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Jefferson,
etc. and is still famous in England and America.
Concepts of Libertarian Theory of
Mass Communication
 The libertarian theory is just the opposite of the Authoritarian
theory of mass media where information is controlled by the
state or the authorities. In libertarian theory, media is
supposed to be privately owned.
 The theory believes in freedom of thought and individualism.
There is no control of authority and everybody has the right to
voice their opinion. There is also no censorship and
government must not hold any power to control and suppress
media.
 There is a flow of all kinds of information. All of the people
are subjected to interpret and decide which information
they need and the authenticity of the information.
Rationality of human beings makes them able to do so.
The press should not restrict any information, even
criticizing the policies. Though media has enormous
power, abuse of power can be dealt legally.
Major Features of Libertarian Theory
of Mass Communication
 There is absolute freedom to media, media plays the role of a watchdog.
 In libertarian theory, there is freedom of thought and expression.
 There is also freedom of information and individualism.
 No censorship of any kind is to be done.
 There is high competition among alternative ideas and thoughts.
 The government does not own the media and media is a different body in the
functioning of the state.
 Media is accountable to the law of the country.
 Media must follow a code of conduct.
 Media encourages pluralist truths like both side of the same story.
 The media accepts a Laissez-faire approach in which there are not many set
rules that they have to follow. They can work as they want.
Example of Libertarian Theory of
Mass Communication
Government reports of most of the countries can be found on the
web nowadays. People can criticize the government policies and
works through social media or any other media like newspapers. These
opinions cannot be censored unless it is against the rights of an
individual. Also, the person can file a law-suit if they are defamed or
their privacy is compromised.
This is a complete example of Libertarian Theory of Mass
Communication where people and the media give comments or
criticize the policies without any government interference. It also
prevents the growing effect of corruption by making government as
much transparent as possible and keeping people aware of their
works.
Strengths of Libertarian Theory of
Mass Communication
 Media can give true information without any control.
 There is no censorship.
 All individuals can express their opinions and thoughts in the media
openly.
 The theory encourages healthy competition among the thoughts
and ideas.
 Every work will be transparent to all.
 It checks the government and the state authorities and also
prevents corruption.
 It functions with democracy.
Weaknesses of Libertarian Theory of
Mass Communication
 Media might not always act responsibly.
 Individuals might not always have good intentions and ethics.
 People can not always make rational judgments.
 Freedom of different type of people, their ideas, opinions, school of
thoughts, and group objectives can be in a conflict.
 Media can misuse its power and harm other people’s privacy and
dignity.
 Media might defame, cause sedition, libel or slander, be immodest,
publish obscenity and cause trouble.
 Media might challenge the security of the state.
Reference:

 https://www.businesstopia.net › Mass communication