Artistic reporting in the Ukrainian media space

Abstract

The artistic report combines the attributes of journalism and literature. In the center of the story we see real people, events, reliable facts, actual problems. Documentary is intertwined with artistic presentation. Attention to detail, a thorough depiction of the characters’ appearance, accurate transmission of the characters’ speech are the main signs of such texts. Artistic reporting is associated with the concept of «new journalism», the principles of which are set forth in the anthology of Tom Wolfe «The New Journalism» (1973). Authors of the texts should be witnesses of events, truthfully and without embellishment transmit dialogs, describe the appearance of the characters, explain their thoughts and actions, convey a real sense of the events. The fact of the appearance of the genre on the verge of journalism and literature is associated with socio-political reasons: hippie culture, peace movement, sexual revolution. One of the first examples of the new-journalistic way of presenting in Ukraine was O. Zabuzhko’s books «Reportazh z 2000» and in 2005 the non-fiction «Let my people go: 15 texts about the Ukrainian revolution». In contemporary Ukrainian media space, artistic reporting is a relatively new phenomenon that is gaining popularity after its publication in the anthology «Veni, Vidi, Scripsi: Light on the Scale of Ukrainian Reporting» (2013). Since that time, the Samovidets art reporting contest has been held annually, the ten best works are included in the collection. Some texts are published in separate books (O. Kryshtopa «Ukraina: Masshab 1:1», M. Matios «Virvany Storinky z Avtobiografii», P. Steh «Nad Prirvoyu v Irzhi»). Samples of artistic reporting are also found in such publications as «Gazeta Po-Ukrainski», «Reporters», «Kraina», «Ukrainska Pravda. Zyttya» and others. The concept of «artistic reporting», the history of its development in Ukraine and abroad, the specifics, topics of domestic publications are considered in the paper. The definitions of «literature of fact», «artistic reporting», «non-fiction» are analyzed.