Experiments in TV journalism: simulated situation as a way to attract an audience to the game

Abstract

The experiment as a current trend among methods of obtaining and supplying information in journalistic materials on Ukrainian television is studied. The popularity of the experiment in television journalism is explained by its compliance to postmodern era and game trends in the media. Simulated conditions intrigue the audience with an unknown end, creating the effect of «here and now» and require the viewer inclusion process and complicity. The audience is not just watching the action deployment, but runs through the situation together with its participants, which leads to greater impact on recipients. The infotainment’s influence on using the simulated situations in TV stories is explored. The classification of the main types of experiments on the criterion of the role of a journalist is promoted: an observer, a moderator or a participant. The negative effects of some innovations, such as the viewer’s entertainment with a loss of the informational component, are shown