Journalistic interviews and statement texts: a procedure for information analysis and retrieval based on pronominal search modes

Abstract

This study proposes a pragmatic procedure of factual data analysis and retrieval of journalistic interviews and what we call "statement texts". Journalistic documentation systems do not always offer the precision required to meet the specific demands of their end-users (journalists, historians, teachers, social scientists, general audience), as is the case with factual data. The retrieval of fact-based information is optimized by determing how users will ask for these data, simulating their pronominal searching behaviour, and then transforming those search modes into analytical categories for use by press documentalists. However, such studies should focus on a specific journalistic genre (in this case interviews and "statement texts") because the conditions and structures of each genre or text type impose different analytical procedures and rules. Nonetheless, the resulting analogies and extrapolations should be carefully studied to improve the accuracy and relevance of the information system´s search results.