Westley and Mac lean Model 1957

Interpreted in context of Mass media communication and specially adopted for mass media.

According to this model mass communication is a self regulating process that is guided by the interests and demands of an  audience that is known  only by its  selection and response to what is offered.

It is an extension of Newcomb model. In New comb model there is a direct relationship between A &B  but in  Westly and Maclean model B  do not get direct access of X, as it looses it relationship with A.  

Westly and Maclean introduced new element C- Editorial Communication: process of deciding what and how to communicate.

the editorial or publishing team who draws the story and broadcast it to B.

This  Model extend the social environment to which B needs to relate. Here  they maintain NewComb idea  need to maintain a shared  orientation towards X is a motive  for communication and they allow restricted opportunities of feed back.

Here we can see , B (Audience) is at the mercy of C&A.

Thus as mentioned above, this model is not linear, since it is strongly shaped by feedback., from the audience both to the media and to the advocates and original communicators.

The mass society  in which we live has inevitably enlarged the social environment, to which we need to orientate ourselves. So B’s need  for information and orientation  has increased  but the means of satisfying this need have been restricted. The mass media has only mean available., shown  by this model.

This model is also called transmission model, as it placed the B( audience)  dependent on mass media ( source), wo decides the message and quantity needs to be send  to the receiver. The  notion is that Mass communication involves the interpolation of a new ‘Communicator role’ between society and audience.

This model takes the account  that mass communicator do not usually originate the message but it rather relay to a potential audience their own account ( of news) of selection of event occurring in the environment or they give access to the  views and voices of those who want to reach wider public.

Thus there are 3 important feature of  Maclean model:

1.Selecting role of Mass communicator.

2.Selection is undertaken according to an assessment of  the audience will find interesting.

3.Communication is not purposive, beyond this goal. The media themselves typically do not aim to persuade or educate or even to inform.

This dependency model fails to take account of the relationship between mass media and other means we have of orientating ourselves to our social environment- these include family, work mates, friends, school and all other formal and informal networks of relations through which we fit into our society. We are not as dependent upon the media as this model implies.