Interview with Grigory Shvedov, the editor-in-chief of the Internet news agency “Caucasian Knot”
The “Caucasian Knot” – a publication which has been covering events in the Caucasus for the past 11 years, is characterized also by the fact that it actively develops the opportunities of citizen journalism. According to the chief editor of the “Caucasian Knot” Grigory Shvedov, today it is important for the media to form civilian readers reacting to the materials. From May 17 to 19, at the invitation of the “Journalists for the Future” NGO, Grigory Shvedov was in Yerevan, where he held a master class for journalists, and also participated in the Regional Media Conference “New media: new opportunities of communication in the region”.
– There is an argued opinion that a civil society, which is formed today with the help of new media, has a somewhat passive character, as it is often limited to “Likes”. What do you think in this regard?
Interview with Grigory Shvedov, the editor-in-chief of the Internet news agency “Caucasian Knot”
The “Caucasian Knot” – a publication which has been covering events in the Caucasus for the past 11 years, is characterized also by the fact that it actively develops the opportunities of citizen journalism. According to the chief editor of the “Caucasian Knot” Grigory Shvedov, today it is important for the media to form civilian readers reacting to the materials. From May 17 to 19, at the invitation of the “Journalists for the Future” NGO, Grigory Shvedov was in Yerevan, where he held a master class for journalists, and also participated in the Regional Media Conference “New media: new opportunities of communication in the region”.
– There is an argued opinion that a civil society, which is formed today with the help of new media, has a somewhat passive character, as it is often limited to “Likes”. What do you think in this regard?
– The interest is measured not only by money, by the “box office”, but also by the quantity of hits. We live a time when the box office in theaters is not the main criterion. Number of views shows the interest of people to the material, it shows the feedback of the history. In this regard comments and likes, as well as various other forms of feedback to the material are very important criteria allowing demonstrate public interest to the issue.
With great concern the authorities in many regions of Russia follow how many dozens of thousands of new hits are added to the video telling about the problems which must be solved by the government, because the more the reaction, the more they are asked about. In this sense, the active stance of the user, the man who devotes only a few minutes to somehow comment on the material or just watch the video is very important.
– Is the role of new media overestimated, or not?
– New media should not be strongly distinguished from the printing press, which as new media may publish entertaining information. Infotainment has certainly captured the information space around the world, including the media which is beginning to entertain its users. And from this point of view one should not overestimate the role of new media which can also be a source of infotainment, hate, language of hostility, etc. There is no denying, new media does not help in the case of the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, but only deepen the conflict between nations.
– During a meeting with journalists in Yerevan, you said that the role of the “Caucasian Knot” is not peacekeeping, but professional journalism. How easy is given this role to your staff, taking into account that your publication joins together journalists from the conflict countries in the Caucasus?
– It is a very harmful function for the media to try to heal, try to develop tolerance. Media is a scalpel in the hands of surgeons. Any peacemaking stands on the margin: just one step separates it from kindling a conflict. Media should mind its own business. Objectivity is not a quality. Objectivity is a blue bird, an object that should be followed. Movement toward the horizon determines the work, but not its achievement. If there is no objectivity, then there is yearning for it, there is a balance. And the need to balance the material enters into contradiction to do it promptly. From this point of view, it is very important to attract readers who can work not only as a receiver of information, but who can adjust, remind to pay attention to the little-known facts. This kind of civilian readers are very much in demand. We try to encourage them and show them in every possible way that we can jointly build the editorial policy. It is important that this kind of readers become more and more. I think it is a missed trend, which is not visible now in the media and on the Internet. For the media they are likely to serve as an annex. All these hundreds of pages of commentary is a trash bin, and only a small number of media pulls out diamonds existing there and trys to facet them with quality journalistic work.
Source: JNews.am