In this book, five leading scholars of media and communication take on
the difficult but important task of explicating the role of journalism
in democratic societies. Using Fred S. Siebert, Theodore Peterson, and
Wilbur Schramm's classic Four Theories of the Press as their point of
departure, the authors explore the philosophical underpinnings and the
political realities that inform a normative approach to questions about
the relationship between journalism and democracy, investigating not
just what journalism is but what it ought to be.
The authors identify four distinct yet overlapping roles for the media:
the monitorial role of a vigilant informer collecting and publishing
information of potential interest to the public; the facilitative role
that not only reports on but also seeks to support and strengthen civil
society; the radical role that challenges authority and voices support
for reform; and the collaborative role that creates partnerships between
journalists and centers of power in society, notably the state, to
advance mutually acceptable interests. Demonstrating the value of a
reconsideration of media roles, Normative Theories of the Media provides
a sturdy foundation for subsequent discussions of the changing media
landscape and what it portends for democratic ideals.