Reading Lasswell's Model of Communication Backward: Three Scholarly Misconceptions

The year 2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the first known reference to Harold D. Lasswell's model of communication in 1940. In recognition of this milestone, this paper revisits Lasswell's famous construct, “Who, said what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect?” by offering a textual analysis of its conceptual evolution over the last 75 years. Inspired by Eulau and Zlomke's (1999) study on Harold Lasswell's legacy to the discipline of political science, we pose a similar question to the field of communication: If one only knows about Harold Lasswell by reading the citations or references to his model of communication, what would his legacy seem to be? In doing so, this paper first explicates the relationship between Lasswell's legacy to the field and the role his model of communication has played in it. Second, it tests the utility of Lasswell's model in light of a significantly changing media landscape, and gauges its current value for communication scholars. Finally, we conclude that Lasswell's...