The qualitative interview in the research on the Tomsk media system

The article explores the peculiarities of using semi-structured interviews in media research. On the material of the project to study the history of Tomsk's journalism and media system, the problem of using elements of biographical and expert interviews to describe the Tomsk media community members' professional worldview is considered. The difficulties that arise when combining these types of interviewing and ways to overcome them are revealed. Seventeen conducted interviews showed that the use of elements of a biographical interview allows one to see the respondent's professional world through narratives related to their professional biography. However, if the respondent is carried away by such narratives, there is a danger that the conversation will be reduced to stories and incidents from life. The use of elements of an expert interview is accompanied by certain difficulties associated with confidentiality, with the adequacy of a multi-level assessment, with the definition of a “role” assessment, that is, an assessment from a particular professional / official position. Interviewers' professional background associated with the informants' subject area, as well as personal relationships between interviewers and interviewees, can affect (both positively and negatively) the course of the conversation and the data interpretation. The difficulties described in the article are overcome due to the systematic construction of the research program, the formation of a certain research focus in interviewers. In general, while maintaining a balance between narratives related to the professional daily life of respondents and expert assessment, the interview results will allow describing the professional worldview of representatives of the Tomsk media community and making short-term forecasts for the development of the local media system.

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