Romanian local journalism. An increase in sarcasm, allusive speaking and abusive quotes

Resumen

 The Romanian written press is torn between the quality of the materials and the struggle for financial survival of Romanian journalists. The situation of the local press in my hometown  Arad is representative for the state of the Romanian written and online press as a whole. The traditional model of production, diffusion and reception of printed journalism is currently undergoing a complex reconfiguration. The print media is losing ground to the online press. The online press is also becoming more attractive because of its gratuity. Paying readers of the internet connection can access numerous sites without bothering to buy a press product from the newsstand. Easier access to the online press product, as well as the possibility to intervene anonymously, commenting on various articles posted by journalists, all this led to a decrease in interest in the written press.

I will present an up-to-date situation of the local publications, written and online press from Arad, Romania, analyzing some trends  that have occurred over time regarding quality of the local journalism. As a method, my study analyzes local Romanian publications in Arad, between 2019 and 2023, following the recurrent trends that appear in writing. I also used my 26 years experience in  local mass-media as a guide to better understand the phenomenon.

We see an increase in sarcasm, allusive speaking, abusive quotes in traditional journalism. Subjectivity is manifested in the written press both at the level of words and their adjective determinations, as well as graphically, by the preference for exclamation marks, inverted comas and numerous suspension points. We can noticed an extension of the the colloquial tone in local newspaper due to journalist`s desire to be familiar with the reader. Slum expressions win in the press’s discourse, as the rudeness of the language attracts the audience.