Philological sciences / 3. Theoretical and methodological problems of language research

Cand.Phil.Sci. Kungurova O. G., Cand.Ped.Sci. Kudritskaya M. I.

Kostanay State University, Kostanay State Teacher Training Institute, Kazakhstan

Phenomenon of journalistic investigation in theoretical judgment

Inconsistent opinions of researchers concerning journalistic investigation are one of problems of the journalism theory, connected with the methodology, new approaches to press functioning and with local research of the current practice. Thus, A. Konstantinov, agreeing with Robert Green who considers journalistic investigation a separate publicist genre, i.e. "the material based, as a rule, on a journalist’s own work and an initiative and also based on an important subject which individuals or organizations would like to keep secret" [1, p.12], gives his own definition of this concept which characterizes it more likely as a method of journalistic activity, i.e. "search, publication and research of certain facts which were for the time being out of the public attention field" [1, p. 13].

A. Stanko defines journalistic investigation as a genre that is as a text, " the author of which comprehensively investigates a negative social phenomenon to draw to it public attention and to achieve an objective legal assessment" [2, p.8-9]. J. Ullmen, Yu. Shibayeva, M. Shostak, etc. come to the same opinion. In their turn, a number of researchers - N. V. Berger, D. Randall, etc. - consider journalistic investigation only as a special type or a method of journalistic activity.

The mentioned contradictions in approaches to the formulation of the concept "journalistic investigation" are caused, in our opinion, first of all by insufficient degree of this problem study.

Research of theoretical and empirical material allows allocating a number of features, characteristic of journalistic investigation as a separate, specific direction of journalistic activity. The solution of this problem becomes even more complicated since journalistic investigation has a number of features which not always can obviously be present in the text or in the process of its carrying out, but, nevertheless, are defining from the point of view of reference of this phenomenon to this or that category ("genre" and "method"). As a rule, conclusions about belonging of journalistic investigation to any of them are drawn on prevalence in the text of these or those signs of form and content.

Preliminary investigation belongs to such characteristic features, in particular. In investigation journalism this concept means the careful analysis of various, as a rule, open sources of information for the purpose of establishment of a certain interrelation between the events phenomena and facts that do not seem connected with each other at first sight.

Owing to its specifics journalistic investigation assumes research of the facts and the phenomena hidden from society. Thus the journalist – an investigator usually faces such feature of this kind of activity, as inaccessibility of information. Often one more peculiar feature of investigation activity of the journalist, namely threat of personal security follows from this feature.

Use of the criminologist - investigative methods of the research, raising efficiency of journalistic investigation is also characteristic only for investigation journalism. The listed factors, and also possibility of prosecution of the journalist after publication of the work results initiated by heroes of the material, causes the need of high legal training of the journalists who are engaged in investigation activity.

The text of journalistic investigation is, as a rule, constructed in the form of evidential judgment. There always is, at least, one thesis which is proved by means of system of arguments in the text. Existence of conclusions made basing on the system of evidence is obligatory.

The data containing information which can cause honor loss, disadvantage business reputation of the people involved in investigation, and also the reliable information the source of which the author for one reason or another can't publish, are formulated in the form of opinion or judgment, not a statement.

For a material statement in the text of journalistic investigation active presence of the author's "I" and prevalence of research over the description is characteristic.

As in the course of investigation the journalist faces the need of large volumes of information processing, the text which results from such research, has a considerable volume and contains a certain number of highly specialized information. Graphic ways of allocation and partitioning of the text facilitate perception by the reader of the journalistic investigation materials.

Such factor as ethics plays a huge role in journalistic investigation. The journalist who is engaged in investigations, faces ethical problems more often than the colleagues – this genre assumes statement of the burning issues which are often lying not only in the field of the right, but also in the moral sphere. Therefore even if the subject is "sharp" and promises to the journalist professional recognition and material welfare, you shouldn't forget about moral ethical standards which are in essence rather simple. Thus, journalistic investigation represents, on the one hand, the process approaching the work of criminal investigator, on the other is the result in the form of the acute social journalistic text.

Literature:

1. Journalistic investigation. History of a method and modern practice. / Under a general edition of A.D.Konstantinov; – SPb. : "Neva publishing house, 2003.

2. Stanko A.I. Journalistic investigation in mass media. - Rostov n/D: Litfond, 2004.