Normative Theory “Authoritarian Theory”

Theory is a generalized view-point that guides us to study the production, consumption and effect of media in a society. The term normative theory refers to a model that explains the relationship between media and social reality. Media as an enterprise that holds a unique status from one way it is like an industry which gives its products and services and earn money but from another way media is supposed to talk about society, people, attitude, interaction, guidance and the most crucial and sensitive, criticism. The criticism media does-on individuals, business sector and the governments, pinches many in many ways. If media does not perform this function, it is rendered redundant.

How media is seen, controlled and dealt with, will be outlined in the following paragraphs through the study of four distinct theories which generally command on media behavior and its outlook in different societies.

 

Conceptualizing Authoritarian Theory

Long before the democratic societies could think of matters pertaining to freedom of speech, there existed a thought that the emergence of media should not challenge the writ of the government which was more in dictatorial form and less they looked like democracies. The media was forced to remain under state control. It had following features through which non democratic governments still rule on media.

·         Direct governmental control of the media.

·         Typical to pre-democratic societies, where the government consists of a very limited and small ruling-class.

·         No printing that could undermine the established authority.

·         No offense to existing political set up.

·         The government may punish anyone who questions the state's ideology.

·         Media professionals are not allowed to have any independence within the media organization.

·         Registration of the media by the state.

This approach is designed to protect the established social order, setting clear limits to media freedom and ensure that it is not the media which should be allowed to talk about people and their problems in any manner that may go against the rule of law set by the existing government or leadership.

Authoritarian Theory is outlined as

“A Normative Theory advocating the complete domination of media by the government for the purpose of forcing those media to serve the government.”

Authoritarian Theory places all forms of communication under the control of governing elites or authorities. Under this theory, the intellect of a common is greatly undermined. Criticism on ruling elites is not tolerated. Many steps are taken to curb the freedom of press like licensing, censorships, approval of content prior to publication and punishments etc.

According to this theory, mass media, though not under the direct control of the State, had to follow its bidding. Under an Authoritarian approach in Western Europe, freedom of thought was jealously guarded by a few people (ruling classes), who were concerned with the emergence of a new middle class and were worried about the effects of printed matter on their thought process. Steps were taken to control the freedom of expression. The result was advocacy of complete dictatorship. The theory promoted zealous obedience to a hierarchical superior and reliance on threat and punishment to those who did not follow the censorship rules or did not respect authority. Censorship of the press was justified on the ground that the State always took precedence over the individual's right to freedom of expression.

This theory stemmed from the authoritarian philosophy of Plato (407 - 327 B.C), who thought that the State was safe only in the hands of a few wise men. Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679), a British academician, argued that the power to maintain order was sovereign and individual objections were to be ignored. Engel, a German thinker further reinforced the theory by stating that freedom came into its supreme right only under Authoritarianism.

The world has been witness to authoritarian means of control over media by both dictatorial and democratic governments.

 

Historical significance and application of Authoritarian Theory.

Authoritarian doctrine has determined the mass communication pattern for more people over a longer period of time than any other theory.

What Fred S. Siebert said?

For almost two hundred years after the spread of printing in the western world, the authoritarian theory furnished the exclusive basis for determining the function and relationship of the popular press to contemporary society, in fact practically the whole of Western Europe utilized the basic principles of authoritarianism as the theoretical foundation for their systems of press control.

1.       Who owns the media in an authoritarian system?

Ownership of printing remains mostly in private hands, but broadcasting and cinema usually remain in the hands of government. The form of control the government exercises over media in authoritarian countries is the same as the control it has over the people who live there. The concepts are inseparable. That is, one follows the other.

History provides us with many examples. Two stand out:

Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini.

Along with everything else he did, Hitler introduced propaganda. To understand this on a much broader canvas it is to say that the Authoritarian Theory allows the shading upon the news and information only that particular part of the news is made common to the people that will fit a preconceived conclusion on what the information should mean and on how people should interpret it.

From Mein Kampf (my struggle):

"All propaganda should be popular and should adapt its intellectual level to the receptive ability of the least intellectual of those whom it is desired to address."

The Second World War was highly based upon the use and abuse of media on an international level, and Authoritarian Theory gave the basis for delivering a feed of a particular school of thought, this was one of the ways Hitler was able to control the people.

2.       Examples of where authoritarian forms of government and, therefore, of media are practiced around the world now:

Israel, Saudi Arab, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Libya (till the death of Muammar Gaddafi).

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, quashed the pro-democracy movement and detained its leader, Aung San Suu Ky.

Formerly authoritarian control existed in the Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos and in South Korea, Nicaragua, Iraq and South Africa under apartheid.

3.       The New Concern: Islamic Rule

Authoritarian Theory may not always be used to trigger wars and for negative intentions, but rather than it can be introduced and accepted by the mass audience not just in one particular state but also in many around it where the effects can lead it to. The Authoritarian Theory can be accepted and implemented on the basis of people’s belief system and their school of thought; it can lead to bring up a new system of governance that may gain power to such an extent where it would be considered a “Revolution”.

This is to be seen in Iran (where they ousted the Shah and established an Islamic state) under Ayatollah Khomeini.

The Authoritarian Theory can be practiced upon the whole state or can also be implemented on certain particular issues which would be considered a custom for one while extremism for the other, the coexistence of propaganda and the existence of different media theories is what lays the basis of a running state or a government. A good example was Afghanistan when the Taliban government was in control. The best example of the control exercised by the Taliban was the way they controlled every aspect of the lives of women.

Another case in point: Salman Rushdie.

A fatwa was issued against Rushdie after the publication of his novel, The Satanic Verses. The then leader of the Islamic Republic in Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, believed the book to be blasphemous.

The Satanic Verses is still banned in many Muslim countries.

When Rushdie appeared at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in 1991 on the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, he said: "Freedom of speech is life itself." Rushdie was at the University of Houston and at the Alley Theatre on September 10, 2001.

Theories of the Press: Authoritarianism vs. Libertarianism

Authoritarian Theory is always thought of as a system for a closed and a very controlled society as an opposite to Libertarian Theory and thus it is always compared to it.

Each country’s mass media system is determined by its political philosophy. These controlling philosophies have even started since then without people noticing or knowing it. From the earliest civilizations up to now, various controlling philosophies are playing a great role in every nation’s political and even mass media system.

A kid thinks that everything wherever part of the globe is for free. However, later in a kid slowly understands things the way they should be. A kid realizes that the God-given freedom is not that free everywhere and not that free all the time. In fact, you cannot have that freedom easily even in countries with democratic form of political system.

Since the earliest times, the control of leaders which led to the oppression of the people has been demonstrated. The concept of authoritarianism developed throughout history wherein people in various societies lived under the authority of scrupulous people. Even English monarchs in the 15th and 16th century, when the printing press was realized, compelled restrictive censorship on publishers through a series of limitations such as licensing, taxation, and seditious libel. Actually, these forms of limitations are not bad at all because these serve as gatekeepers for some irresponsible printed materials.

Conspicuously, even up to now, lots of people are still living under the authoritative form of government system wherein the government has the absolute control over the media and that they use media for propaganda purposes. Sometimes it’s a funny thing to know that in this type of political system there are no marketing strategies being used, only but just threat morose threat.

However, given the ubiquitous state of internet today, does any nation have the power to apply the authoritarian form of mass media system? As what Rupert Murdock has been quoted, “We are already in the midst of technological storm.”

The capacity of the authoritarian form of government to have the control over the media is questionable, the fact that everyone is already accessible to the internet, as well as people are already critical thinkers.

The offshoot of authoritarianism is the Soviet-Communist theory. Let’s compare and contrast the two theories first. Basically, both theories have control over the mass media; nevertheless, there is one important difference. In authoritarian, the media is recognized as a different body from the government while in Soviet-Communist theory; the press for all matters and functions has been a part of the state. There is no such term as repression of the press in this system, for the press is the state. However, the question is, how does the government make profit out of it?

During the Age of Reason in 17th century, another theory, Libertarianism, evolved in United States initiated by the forerunners John Milton, Thomas Jefferson and John Stuart Mill.

Libertarianism grants a totally free press upholding that people are inherently rational truth-seekers. In the Philippines, just like in US journalists and broadcasters have this freedom of expression as stated in the First Amendment “Congress shall pass no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

Though sometimes it leads to some libel and slander cases in the part of journalists but they have this freedom to defend themselves. We have what we call the privileged communication and fair comment on matters of public interest.

A responsibility to eradicate corrupt, irresponsible or immoral actions that may bring impairment to the community, its people, or the environment before the behavior takes place. A true journalist must have this passion to serve and provide good service to the people. Sometimes, the liberty of having this freedom led for some to abuse it and use it in several negative purposes and intentions.

There are both advantages and disadvantages between the authoritarianism and the libertarianism as what is discussed. The amount of government control depends upon the relationship between the government and the governed. Generally, the controller-controlled relationship is natural for humans.