Principles of New Historicism in Modern Media

Section: Modern Journalism: Subjects and Issues

The article analyzes English-language media materials on the basis of their interconnection with the concept of new historicism. The general principles, which relate media texts to the texts of new historians, such as textuality of history, relativism, ideologism, and the arbitrary interpretation method, are pointed out. Textuality of history in mass media materials in texts on historical themes is shown not in informing (or educative), but in the primacy of interpretative function. History is exploited by journalists as an argument for protection of some specific ideological position. The possibility of arbitrary interpretation leads to admissibility of variative handlings of the same event and to refusal from searching an objective worldview. In journalism such approach influences reliability of materials, it makes possible to substitute a real event by fictional alternative versions. The abundance of such versions spreads confusion about the concept of truth which means loss in an information field for mass audience and growing apathy concerning the opportunity to deal with modern political and ideological processes and opportunity to effectually influence them.

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