Journalism and Theories of the Press

Functional Theories of Journalism and the Press

The functionalist approach to theories of journalism and the press views the media in the aggregate as one of many systems or institutions in a society. By working with the other systems and institutions, such as government, education, religion, business, and the family, the press is seen as making its own essential set of contributions to society's continuity and order.

One of the earliest and most influential functionalist theories was developed by Harold Lasswell, a political scientist and mass communication research pioneer. In 1948, Lasswell identified three major functions of the press:

1. Surveillance of the environment: collecting and distributing information about events in the environment; in other words, news reporting.

2. Correlation of the parts of society: explaining, interpreting, and commenting on the meaning of events (thus, editorializing, persuading, or even propagandizing by the press).

3. Transmission of the social heritage: communicating values, norms, and styles across time and among groups. Newspapers therefore function as both windows into other contemporaneous cultures and time capsules for future generations.

In 1959, communication scholar Charles Wright added entertainment to this list. Since that time, surveillance, correlation, transmission, and entertainment have become known collectively as the “classic four” functions of the media.

However, as many communication scholars (including Wright) have pointed out, the classic four functions may well be the intended aims of media organizations but do not necessarily capture audiences' actual media uses. A related criticism of the functionalist approach is that in its focus on describing the supposed functions of the media, it fails to account for the effects or dysfunctions of those activities. For example, as sociologists Paul Lazarsfeld and Robert Merton argued, the press does not create social change; rather, the media simply reinforce the status quo through status-conferral (legitimizing the authority of members of society), the enforcement of social norms (keeping people in line through publicizing their good or bad deeds), and the press's narcotizing dysfunction (flooding news consumers with an excess of information, which overwhelms them into apathy).

...