Who are columnists? The answer to this question is few people know. However, it should be noted that without them there would not be something without which a modern person can rarely do, - the press.
Definition of the term
So, the first thing to do is determine who these columnists are. These are print media workers who are authors of their own column (section or heading). It is worth noting that several columnists sometimes work on one heading.
Back in 1926, a book was published in the United States of America entitled The Column. This is a very valuable work. After all, it describes in detail who the columnists are, as well as details of their professional sphere of activity and many other nuances relating to this section of journalism. Some features should be noted. Firstly, several columnists are working on the same rubric today. It’s rare when one journalist independently leads this or that section. In addition, he does not have to be on staff. Often these are freelance journalists.
Origin of the word
English dictionaries noticed that such a word as “columnist” came into use around 1915-1920. This is the so-called "Americanism", which quickly took root in the English language.
It is very simple to understand what the word “columnist” means, because its meaning is quite specific: “he is a journalist who regularly collaborates with the newspaper”, or “he who runs a program on television or radio similar in style and material to the column, or writes a column in the print edition. ” Interestingly, this word was borrowed from the Latin language - in its meaning it is “text published in the form of a column”. And with the suffix “ist”, which denotes the name of a person, this professionalism has occurred. As a matter of fact, in quite early examples it seems to be recognizably difficult: in English it was written so that in Russian it would have sounded "kalemist." But then the spelling settled, therefore, when borrowing in our dictionary, the term passed as “columnist”.
"News"
This publication, which today stands next in importance to newspapers such as the New York Times, El Pais, and many others. As in all famous magazines, it has columns, sections and headings. It is worth noting that the columnists of Izvestia are very famous and talented journalists. For example, Dmitry Bykov, which was published in almost all weekly magazines in Moscow and has been a member of the Writers' Union since 1991. He wrote five collections of poems, as well as the novel “Spelling” and “Justification”.
Or, for example, Andrei Bilzho, who graduated from a medical school with a degree in psychiatry. He is a talented cartoonist who has published about seven thousand drawings in his entire life. Andrey Bilzho was awarded the Golden Gong and Golden Ostap Prizes. In “Izvestia” he leads the brainstorming column.
Work specifics
Speaking about who are the columnists, the specificity of this activity should be noted. A column can only be led by a person who knows how to understand the topic she is talking about. Moreover, he does not just have to know what is being discussed. He must know in detail every nuance relating to the topic. There are rare cases when a journalist leading a column on the topic “Psychology” would write in a section on gardening.
In addition, a column is not a note or report. Often these are small, very concise journalistic works. Accordingly, the second duty of the columnist is as clear as possible, accessible and, importantly, interesting to present information. The reader, not being an expert in a particular topic on which the column is being discussed, must understand from the words of the journalist what is at stake. This is the main task of the columnist.