Arrange the following four theories of the press in chronological order of…

Concept

Normative theories of the press explain how media systems are expected to relate to political authority, individual liberty, and public responsibility.

Their chronological order is determined by the historical setting in which each model emerged, not by the order in which the four models were later presented together.

Application

1. Authoritarian Theory developed first in early modern Europe, where rulers licensed and controlled the press.

2. Libertarian Theory followed with Enlightenment ideas of individual freedom and a press independent of state control.

3. Soviet Theory arose after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and treated the press as an instrument of the socialist state and party.

4. Social Responsibility Theory emerged later in the twentieth century and was shaped especially by the Hutchins Commission report of 1947.

Cross-check and contrast

The four models were jointly systematized in Four Theories of the Press in 1956, but their historical origins still run from authoritarian control to libertarian freedom, then to the Soviet model, and finally to social responsibility.

Therefore, the chronological sequence is B, C, A, D.