Perspectives of new journalism in Ukraine. Polemical Notes

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the research’s topic is conditioned by the obvious fact that the new journalism, initiated by Tom Wolfe in the United States more than half a century ago, has spread around the world as a method of writing a journalistic work. But it did not reach Ukraine. The author of this study acknowledges that, due to the lack of knowledge and mastery of the basic techniques and methods of new journalism, modern Ukrainian journalists, and with them an average Ukrainian reader, lose too much: from a vivid picture of the world to deep emotional empathy with the hero of a journalistic work. The author has addressed in many other studies the reasons for such catastrophic lag in the training of reporters in Ukrainian universities, as well as during their practical work in print and online publications. Relevance of the study. It is necessary to count on optimization and, at the same time, to plan theoretical developments and practical actions, taking into account time frames. Planning the development of a media and new journalism in particular should be similar to planning the upbringing of a child: sending him or her to school, then to university, and finally to the office. On the one hand, such an approach may seem unreasonably long. Methodology. The main method of the study is comparative and historical-comparative. There was also an opportunity to use the method of genre-thematic differentiation, which was applied to the «recognition» of the relevant genre materials and, accordingly, their characteristics. The author has also made appropriate conclusions and logical proposals following the method of generalization.

Results. What seems to be the persistent problem of Ukrainian journalism, namely the lack of appropriate «publication spaces» (newspapers, magazines, online publications) for the implementation of creative ideas—at the same time may turn positive. A relatively small number of active media outlets require a small number of reporters. Therefore, it is possible to speak about a certain rigid professional selection. Conclusions. New journalism in Ukraine has a chance to develop only if there is a public demand for it on behalf of readers. The joint efforts of theorists and practitioners are needed to inform readers, viewers, and listeners about new methods of presenting material. These methods need to be tested in both print and online publications. By slowly teaching the reader to appreciate the original new journalism, one can safely introduce it to the general public.