Conversation

Conversation along with interviews, polling is an important analytical genre of journalism, based on the use of the dialogic, or rather, "polylogic" method of obtaining information. The conversation has been widely used in the press for many years. For example, "Conversations at the" round table ", on the pages of (still Soviet)" Literary Gazette "," Izvestia ", etc .. Currently, this genre is often found in the press. Sometimes identified with the interview genre. But this is unreasonable, although these genres have common features. First of all - the two-part text. One part of it "belongs" to one participant in the conversation (interview), the other to the other. Both in conversation and in interview there is an exchange of thoughts, remarks. However, there is a very important difference between genres. It consists in the role that is assigned to the interviewing journalist and the interviewing journalist, which has a significant impact on the content of the texts of the interview or conversation. If, in the role of an interviewer, a journalist can pose only questions, and the interviewee answers them, then it is the latter that forms the main content of the publication, its character. The journalist-interlocutor is an equal, along with his partner in the communicative act, the creator of the content of the future text. Therefore, the question-answer form of the exchange of thoughts inherent in the interview, in a conversation will correspond to the exchange of “equal”, equivalent replicas, judgments, and reflections. When a journalist takes an interview, he can only set the direction for the interviewee’s thoughts. And whether the actual content of the publication will be factual, evaluative, or some other mapping of the subject under discussion will mainly determine the answers of the interviewee. No matter how hard the interviewee tries to be objective, in any case he will consider the subject of discussion from his own position. his knowledge, perceptions, stereotypes, attitudes. However, the fact that two equal partners (or several) participate in the conversation, increases the chance of objective coverage of the subject of conversation. This is due to the fact that the journalist (or other participants in the conversation) may be in their special positions, which will focus him on the coverage of other aspects, other qualities, advantages, disadvantages, connections of the subject under discussion. Thus, in contrast to the inevitably one-sided coverage of the subject of discussion, the interview will show a multilateral, polyphonic vision of the subject of discussion, which undoubtedly increases the objectivity of its coverage.

Conversation as an analytical genre may be indispensable in the case when the subject under discussion is not amenable to instant and unambiguous interpretation, but requires a calm, comprehensive, in-depth examination, reasoned and qualified “preparation”. At the same time, the more contrasting the positions of the interlocutors will be, the higher their desire to “get to the bottom of the truth”, the more interesting the publication can be. In addition, it is very important that the interlocutors respect each other’s point of view, not try to diminish the weight of the opponent’s arguments. Otherwise, the conversation will turn into an ineffectual dispute.

The conversation genre requires a sufficiently high qualification and competence of the journalist in the question, which is discussed during the conversation. Indeed, unlike the interviewer, he cannot manage only with questions addressed to the “source of information”, but he must also demonstrate a corresponding understanding of the subject being discussed.

Comment A comment can be, like an interview, the method and genre of journalism. As a method, the commentary is applied in all forms of publications: in a note, in the form of cited expressions of another's opinion or various notes. In the correspondence, article, essay, review, review, review - in the forms of the author's interpretation of the subject of the display, in the form of a final thought, conclusion. To designate an independent genre of journalism, the word “comment” began to be used in the 20th century. Publications that fit this definition “commented” (explained, discussed, explained) important events. At present, in the complex of basic journalistic forms, the commentary takes its important place. With its help, the author expresses the attitude to current events, formulates the related tasks and problems in the form of a succinct analysis of deficiencies or achievements, and also expresses their assessment, development forecast, etc. The comment differs from informational genres precisely the presence of analysis. A comment differs from an article, a review, a review, and other analytical genres in that it usually analyzes a phenomenon already known to the audience, and in this analysis the attitude to the subject of the display prevails. Contemporary commentary has the following goals: - to direct the attention of the audience to important new facts that are coming to the forefront of public life, to evaluate them; - put the event under discussion in connection with others, identify the causes of this event; - to formulate a forecast for the development of a commented event; - justify, as a rule, with the help of examples, the necessary behaviors or problem solving. The commentary actively outlines problems, discusses relevant facts related to them. The functions of the commentary genre are inextricably linked to its subject. Determining the purpose of a future speech implies clarity in establishing its subject. The comment tells about the interrelationships of the detected object. The questions solved with its help are aimed at the cognition of the essence of phenomena, at the prompt solution of problems, at the urge to action. The infinite variety of specific commented problems can be largely covered by a number of typical questions grouped together: about the features or new qualities of a fact, its value; about the causes, conditions, prerequisites for the existence of facts; this is connected with questions about precedents, parallels; about the goals, motives, action plans of the participants in the event being commented (fact); about the order of development of the commented phenomenon; about trends, patterns of development of society, which are manifested in the commented fact, about the contradictions within this fact; about the tasks that arise from the fact being commented on, about the ways and methods of solving them in a particular situation; about the reliability of the commented facts. The commentary has questions: what (who) is really? Under what circumstances? Why? Who benefits? What is the situation? What to do? What's best? What are the differences, contradictions? How does the direction of development manifest? What is his strategy and tactics? The first step in preparing a comment is choosing a goal. Therefore, the author should clearly answer the following questions: - What phenomenon do I want to cover? What should I tell the reader what knowledge to give him? What feelings to arouse? - What knowledge, ideas about the subject of a future speech do I already have? - What objections can arise from my opponent? How to take them into account in the publication?

Commenting is carried out using the following techniques: - development of relationships between the source and commenting facts (for example, discussion of the background of the event) - detailing of the main commented events (restoration of details), signs that are important for raising questions (for example, you can discuss the City Duma meeting, emphasizing and interconnecting different statements, conclusions of deputies); - comparison of facts, development of analogies, for example, with precedents; - drawing parallels that may be and included as demonstration models of the detected links of the actual event (subject) of the commentary; - opposition, confrontation of different or opposite ways of performing the discussed actions; - text interpretation (clarification of documents, “translation” of opponents' arguments into a clear language). separately or combined. Their choice stems from the specific purpose of the demonstrative reasoning and the posing of the necessary questions. Regardless of which method is used, the comments contain a number of typical structural elements (the main parts of the comment): - reporting on the event being commented upon and formulating the commentary task; - formulating the issues that arose in connection with this event; - narrating the commenting facts and thoughts, details; formulation of theses, reflecting the attitude of the author to the displayed event, their presentation either at the beginning of the text, or immediately after asking questions that reveal the essence of the phenomenon being commented on. The construction of a commentary follows from the essence of the genre, and all its structural elements condition one another. Therefore, all of them must be present in the comments. Otherwise, it may be unsuccessful. A special role is played by the quality of the questions posed, their relevance, problem, accuracy. They influence the quality of arguments commenting on thoughts and facts. The quality of commenting facts, thoughts depends on the possibility of nonbanal, well-founded conclusion (although in a short comment the result can flow directly from the initial facts). As a rule, commenting thoughts and facts in full-fledged comments are necessary to evaluate the initial facts and the basis of the conclusion. A good comment should have a clear conclusion. If it is absent, then the sequence of the author’s thoughts may not be caught by the audience. Just a good comment title, like any other text heading, signals the nature of the publication. It is in close connection with the construction and way of commenting. Often, this is a brief question design; Frequent use of interrogatives seems to be typical. Sometimes the heading includes the main argument, less often - an interesting detail. He can also manifest one of the main ways of commenting applied by the author, for example, opposition. The content of the comment heading reflects, first of all, an event or a situation connected with it, a process, a tendency, tasks, ways to solve them, an assessment. It can also signify interconnections or reflect the polemical orientation of the commentary. The success of a comment depends largely on how well it is built. Options for building a comment, there are many. The classic construction of publications of this genre is the arrangement of the material according to the “fact-comment” scheme.

See also

• Reportage
• 15 Review