Four Theories of the Press: Libertarian Theory

The libertarian theory is based on the absence of government in deciding norms for the individual. The best early expression is in “Areopagitica” and essay published by Milton. In this theory, the individual is protected, there is no government that decides the norms for the media. The libertarian theory is a hands-off approach and can be both liberal and conservative. It does not make assumptions on what someone is and doesn’t say have a really liberal mindset. The theory assumes that in the absence of state control, the media is free. In this theory it identifies deregulation which presumes to be consistent with liberty. It presumes also that the state is the only possible sourch of obstruction to media operation. This theory arose from the works of men like Milton, Locke, Mill and jeffereson and avowed that the search for truth is one of man’s natural rights. An example of this would be Jefferson.