Personal knowledge" of a journalist in the projection of their rational subjectivism

In the paper, a new approach to the understanding and evaluating of reality by a journalist is presented. The author's concept is based on an acknowledgment of the fact that journalism, among all mass communications, acts as an analyst and navigator in the information space. The author makes an assumption in the process of analysis that the performative role of a journalist investigating social problems is significantly increased, and methodology of reality understanding is changing from gnoseology to new epistemology. Its main task is to analyze the existential sides of life. It is found that rational traditions of reality understanding by a journalist are being replaced by "personal knowledge". In accordance with the theory of "personal knowledge" by philosopher M. Polanyi, "intellectual passion" plays its special part in every artwork: beauty, interest, heuristics, determination. They are the basis for every discovery. The author uncovers that journalism mission to investigate the sociality defines the importance of "personal knowledge" of a journalist in the reality representation. It is supported by the growth trend of journalist texts predominance with subjective thoughts and arguments. At the same time, as practice shows, modern audience is skeptical about subjective conclusions and arguments of journalists. Modern people of "society of adventure" by G. Schultze (Erlebnisgesell-schaft) are interested not only in simple facts, but in their meanings. The question is how to express the axiological meanings of facts and events. The analysis of journalist works demonstrates that a journalist has to become a moderator of the semantic linkage process between facts and data. Discourse analysis of texts in The Russian Reporter magazine (journalists D. Sokolov-Mitrich "Brasil is so Brasil" and M. Akhmedova "BoogieMan and People") proves such a method to be effective in its rational subjectivism of reality representation. Social importance of events representation is expressed with maximum subjectivism in the discourse of journalist involvement in those events. However, that subjectivism is heuristic, so conclusions and opinions are left to the audience. That is the goal of a professional journalist. "Rational consensus" (J. Habermas) with the audience may be reached only within an adequate discourse as a process of communication. This thesis is confirmed by conducting the content analysis of journalistic stories. It is found out that a journalist text discourse structure is formed by mental constructs of "personal knowledge". The semantic structure of the discourse is intertextual, which allows the journalist to provide personal opinions and conclusions. While avoiding of being direct and judgmental, the journalist should use the objective modality and provide interpretation of facts. Extrapolation of journalist's "personal knowledge" on the scope of reality being understood and evaluated creates the effect of semantic redundancy in the form of rational opinion or conclusion.

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