The Soviet Theory of the press emerged from Marxist-Leninist ideology after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Its key features are:

• Closely tied to communist ideology — media is an instrument of the state/party
• Media functions as a collective agitator, propagandist, and educator in building communism (Lenin's phrase)
• No private ownership of media — all media belongs to the state or party
• The government is superior to media institutions
• Media is expected to be serious and purposeful

Full editorial autonomy for journalists is a feature of the Libertarian Theory, which is the direct opposite of the Soviet approach. Under Soviet theory, media professionals are instruments of the state's ideological goals — they have no independent editorial authority. The Soviet Theory does, however, propose a positive role for media: not merely reinforcing authority (as in Authoritarianism), but actively building a new communist society.