Introduction
Most developing countries and third-world nations utilized the social responsibility mass communication idea of the press throughout the majority of the 20th century. The social responsibility theory of the press was typically related to or rather associated with “the commission of the freedom press.” This commission stated that pure libertarianism is antiquated and obsolete, which paved the way for the libertarian theory to be replaced with the social responsibility theory of the press. Social responsibility theory allows a free press without any censorship.
Objective
This paper has so many different goals that it has to accomplish. Finding exactly where the concept of social responsibility originated and all that goes along with it is this study’s primary and most important goal (Bates, 2018). This covers the individual who conceived the idea as well as the primary function it serves. The second goal is to study how the social responsibility idea was useful during the period it was being applied. Because every communication theory has things it allows, the third theory is to find out what the theory truly permits, since every communication theory has things it permits. The next and last goal is to get familiar with the objections raised against this notion of social responsibility. When all of these objectives have been met, we can consider this research to be finished, and we can consider it to have been successful.
Literature review
The notion of social responsibility originated in Europe, and it was not until 1947 that the United States established a committee on the freedom of the press. It was at that time that the theory began to take shape. The primary objective of this school of thought was to promote complete freedom of the press while rejecting all forms of censorship. In addition, it was to be governed according to the principles of social responsibility and external controls (Christians & Fackler, 2014). The theory is seen to fall somewhere in the middle of the authoritarian theory and the libertarian theory because it allows for complete freedom of the media on the one hand. On the other hand, it maintains an external control mechanism.
During that historical period, the theory was extremely useful in that. First, it assisted in developing highly professional media by establishing a high degree of precision and truthfulness in the information the media was disseminating. The second way was very helpful throughout the process of formulating the press ethics code that was in effect at the time. Another vitally essential consideration is that it had a significant role in preserving the journalistic profession or, more specifically, journalism. Moreover, finally, it was very helpful in raising the bar for journalism by providing criticism and establishing some sanctions for any journalist who broke any code of conduct.
During that period, the theory made it possible for several occurrences that were previously thought to be impossible. Freedom of speech was the first and most important right that was restored as a result. Because of this theory, every individual could voice their thoughts and opinions regarding any media aspect they liked or disliked. Additionally, the theory supported the concept of private ownership of various forms of media. This is because private ownership of the media, as opposed to government ownership, could provide a higher level of public service.
An ethical theory known as social responsibility holds that people are responsible for carrying out their civic responsibilities and that an individual’s activities must be beneficial to society as a whole. In this manner, there has to be a balance between the expansion of the economy, the well-being of society, and the protection of the environment. If this equilibrium is preserved, then social responsibility will be attained.
The social responsibility thesis was met with opposition from several different people. The first argument against the social responsibility theory was that it was criticized for avoiding a conflict scenario or war by following public opinion, which was not always the best thing to do (Iqbal & Yousaf, 2018). Another criticism leveled against it was that the media could not play the monopoly game. The reason for this was that both the public and the media scholars would question whether or not the media aired anything unethical or manipulative.
Research method
In this particular instance, no one approach was utilized; a combination of ways was utilized. However, the meta-analysis was the approach that was utilized the most. The term “meta-analysis” refers to a type of systematic review that, in its most basic form, entails locating and then searching for research papers that have been carried out in the past by other researchers and that have dealt with the subject matter being discussed here. The validity of the results drawn from this type of research is increased since they are based on a larger variety of information. This is the reason why this research method is used.
Analysis
Following the investigation’s completion, many new things have become apparent as a result of it. The first is the widespread consensus among experts that the social responsibility theory is the most compelling and compelling of all the normative theories. This is because it can ensure that all journalists are held accountable for all the publications and broadcasts they produce (McIntyre et al., 2018). This is because it is not wise to give a journalist complete freedom or absolve them of responsibility for any articles they produce. Because such liberties always involve obligations on the part of those who use them, the concept of social responsibility is the most ideal.
The newly discovered problem that was discovered as a result of this research will have a significant amount of contribution to this area. The fact that this research was able to discover the most effective theory of mass communication to apply to the media and the factors that led to its conclusion is a significant contribution to the discipline. This will unquestionably bridge the gap over the communication philosophy that is most suitable for the media. In addition, as the research progressed, it was able to determine that the social responsibility idea is still the general approach that is being utilized worldwide by journalists and media outlets. Because of this research, the knowledge gap that now exists in the field will be automatically filled. As a result, there will almost certainly be an improvement in the general quality of the media.
Regarding research constraints, the most significant constraint is that there is never enough time. This is the case regardless of the type of study. In the same vein as this research, time was a significant restriction. Research needed to be done on many topics, but there was only so much time available. During the research, this resulted in omitting a great deal of information. One more restriction was the topic that may be discussed. The reason for this is that there were not enough or many years of experience conducting research and publishing academic papers, which substantially influenced the research findings. The reason for this is that there was not enough experience.
The defining of the study objectives was the last constraint, and it was the most significant one. Most of the goals were universal and had been investigated by several different academics previously. Future researchers, on the other hand, can make this study more useful by, first and foremost, conceiving objectives that have never been investigated or investigated by anyone before. They might further improve their research by conducting interviews with several journalists who cover the topic.
Conclusion
All decisions and actions must be ethically justifiable before proceeding, which is the premise upon which the idea of social responsibility rests. A lack of social responsibility may be argued if the action or decision in an issue has the potential to harm other people or the environment (Andrew & Baker, 2020). Ethical norms create a standard by which good and evil may be distinguished. This way, social justice is deemed “proper,” even though it is mostly absent in practice. Because of this, everyone should act in a way that benefits society as a whole rather than just oneself because they are ultimately responsible for the consequences of their actions.
Reference
Christians, C. G., & Fackler, P. M. (2014). The genesis of social responsibility theory: William Ernest Hocking and positive freedom. The handbook of media and mass communication theory, 333–356.
Bates, S. (2018). Media censures: The Hutchins Commission on the press, the New York intellectuals on mass culture. International Journal of Communication, pp. 12, 4784.
Iqbal, S., & Yousaf, Z. (2018). Investigative Journalism and Social Responsibility Theory: A Press Appraisal. Al Qalam, 23(2), 108-134.
McIntyre, K., Dahmen, N. S., & Abdenour, J. (2018). The contextualist function: US newspaper journalists value social responsibility. Journalism, 19(12), 1657–1675.
Andrew, J., & Baker, M. (2020). Corporate social responsibility reporting: the last 40 years and a path to sharing future insights. Abacus, 56(1), 35–65.
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