BILATERAL NATURE OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Communication, as a system of relations aimed at establishing mutual understanding, has a bilateral nature. In the theory of journalism two streams of information are distinguished. On the one hand, there is a direct connection - the transfer of information to the audience, on the other hand, there is a feedback - receiving information from the audience. The public in the face of its individual representatives through the press expresses their assessments, opinions, influences the behavior of people and social groups. And the one and the other is possible only with the understanding of the interlocutor and with the clarity of the author's intention. Otherwise, between the editors and the audience are broken all the links.

Among consumers of information to distinguish between actual and potential audience. The actual audience are those who actually refer to a particular source of information. The potential audience may be the entire population of the country. In studying the process of communication, one has to deal, as a rule, with specific channels and information services. Appeals from readers, listeners, and viewers to the media are selective, tied to the region, to their own needs and interests, to certain political figures.

The journalist is an organizer of communicative relations, a mediator and an interpreter in social dialogue. Moscow sociologists, who studied the creative process in the media, drew attention to the fact that “the main difficulties for journalists have always been caused by mass-organizing work, that is, not creative work, but work with authors, letters to the editor, organization of round tables, raids and etc. "[3]

Indeed, mass organizational work often oppresses writing journalists, but is an integral part of the profession. The essence of this work today is largely different. With the changing nature of the press, the reduction in the number of letters, the proportion of organizational activities has decreased, and new forms have appeared. In addition to his own literary and informational work, the journalist deals with the following types of work:

Ø editing,

Ø public relations,

Ø work with letters,

Ø work with authors,

Ø participation in the editorial business.

He enters into relationships with various social actors:

Ø by authorities

Ø social institutions

Ø by parties and social movements

Ø founders,

Ø advertisers

Ø sponsored

This is also his audience, in dealing with which organizational talents and efforts are required. The situation on the media market makes many editorial staffs require employees to search for sponsors and advertisers. The advertising market in Russia and Belarus after the summer of 1998 declined sharply. To develop an effective strategy for selling newspaper space and airtime in the face of increasing competition, all journalists needed to study local markets and the readership. In large editions, specially trained employees are engaged in marketing research. Journalists have to learn related professions in local and trade publications, and, as a rule, they are moving further and further away from literary work. At the same time, new relations in the search for finance are initially compromise. A self-respecting creative person has to become a suppliant and humbly look into the eyes of the rich and rich, or offer an open deal. With widespread corruption, bias, ordered character of journalistic work, it is difficult to defend the interests of society.

All editorial teams are forced to take care of the economic side of things and become partly commercial enterprises. Increased demand for advertising, getting it also makes the journalist rely on contact with readers, but special. A new type of media is emerging as an element of a rigid market management and economic system. The volume of business information is increasing and the number of business publications is growing. The content of the press is increasingly interspersed with elements of the game.