Press Text as a Subject of Research – Evolution, Transgression, Multimodality

In the linguistic concept of press studies analysis, focusing attention only on the text as a product of communication activities seems to be methodologically outdated today, which does not mean, however, that the media text has become a useless research category in favor of discourse or multimodal messages. On the contrary, it is precisely from the interest in the text – first colloquial, then literary, and then public statements, including journalistic ones – that the research on the structure and consistency of statements, including the press (media) genres, has developed. 

In accordance with the changes in the scope of research interests concerning text theory and press discourse, the concepts and methods of description are also subject to continuous development and expansion. Multi-channel nature, multimodality and the growing role of the Internet in the transmission of information, as well as the changing needs of the audience, require new methodologies for the analysis and description of media coverage. 

In the linguistic concept of press studies analysis, focusing attention only on the text as a product of communication activities seems to be methodologically outdated today, which does not mean, however, that the media text has become a useless research category in favor of discourse or multimodal messages. On the contrary, it is precisely from the interest in the text – first colloquial, then literary, and then public statements, including journalistic ones – that the research on the structure and consistency of statements, including the press (media) genres, has developed. 

In accordance with the changes in the scope of research interests concerning text theory and press discourse, the concepts and methods of description are also subject to continuous development and expansion. Multi-channel nature, multimodality and the growing role of the Internet in the transmission of information, as well as the changing needs of the audience, require new methodologies for the analysis and description of media coverage.