6 Editorial

Unit Objectives:

In this unit you will learn about the purposes of editorials in newspa-
pers, the differences between editorials and news stories, and the
structure of editorials. You will also learn about other opinion materi-
als in newspapers such as columns, letters to the editor, and editorial
cartoons.
 164 Reading English Newspapers

What is an Editorial?

Each day newspapers publish a large number of news stories. These sto-
ries are ‘factual’ articles, i.e. they report ‘facts’. They do not include the
opinions, feelings, and biases of the reporters, editors and owners of the
newspapers. Any ‘voice’ heard or ‘opinion’ and ‘feeling’ expressed in
these stories comes, mostly through quotations, from such people as ‘of-
ficials’, ‘experts’, ‘witnesses’, or those directly involved in the story.
In addition to news, newspapers publish separate articles in which
they express their own views on current issues in the news. Such articles
are referred to as ‘editorials’. An editorial, then, is the expression of the
opinion or the position of (the owners and editors of) a newspaper on
current issues in the news. In their news stories, newspapers present facts,
but in their editorials hey can tell their readers what they think of the is-
sues and events in those stories.
As an example, suppose the
Government has made a deci-
sion to lift restrictions on the
import of foreign automobiles
into the country. In reporting Newspapers use such various labels as
this event, newspapers present ‘opinion’, ‘viewpoint’, ‘perspective’,
the facts concerning the event comment’, ‘editorial’, ‘voice of’’, etc. to
such as the time the decision refer to the articles expressing their
will come into effect, the num- views on the events.
ber of automobiles licensed to be
imported, types of automobiles to be imported, the amount of tariff to be
levied on the imported automobiles, and so on. In their stories, newspa-
pers will not criticize or defend the decision. They will not express their
opinions as to whether the decision is wrong or right, responsible or irre-
sponsible, etc.
A newspaper which agrees with the Government’s decision may
choose it as the topic of its editorial and express its position on this issue.
It may, for example, argue that automobile imports will bring the prices
down, that it will get domestic automobile manufacturers to increase the
quality of their cars, that it will give consumers better choices, and so on.
Another newspaper which opposes the decision may choose this same
issue as the topic of its editorial and argue against the decision. It may
argue that the lifting of restrictions will weaken the domestic car indus-
try, that it is against national interests, and so on.
To write an editorial, the editors would first choose a topic. That is,
they would see what controversial events have been in the news, and
 Editorial 165

then would choose an event or issue on which they would like to express
their views and positions.
To see the difference between editorials and news stories, read the fol-
lowing two articles. In the first article – a news story – the newspaper re-
ports facts concerning an event, i.e. the crash of a passenger plane, and in
the second article the newspaper expresses its position and opinion on
that event.

The News Story:

Plane Crash Kills 117 in

Western Iran
TEHRAN (Reuters) — An
Iranian airliner carrying 117
people crashed into a moun-
tain while trying to land in
western Iran, killing all
aboard. A government official
and local residents said.
The Russian-built Tupolev-
154, belonging to Iran Air
Tours, an affiliate of the state
carrier Iran Air, was flying
from the capital Tehran to
Khorramabad when it disap-
peared off radar screens
Southwest of the city.
Low clouds and heavily
overcast skies may have
hampered landing, residents
said. The official, who de-
clined to be identified, said
those killed – 105 passengers
and the rest crew – included
four government officials and
at least two foreigners.
All 117 are dead, the offi-
cial told Reuters.
Khorramabad lies to the
east of the Zagros Mountain
range running along the bor-
der with Iraq. State radio said
villagers in the area were
startled by an explosion early
in the morning.
There is a mountain close
to the airport and the plane
crashed into it as it was land-
ing, said a local resident who
visited the crash site.
The plane was totally de-
stroyed and scattered in
small pieces across the
mountain, the resident said.
A Transport Ministry
spokesman said four Italians
were among the passengers,
but a diplomat at the Italian
embassy in Tehran said he
could not confirm his coun-
trymen were among those
missing. The government
official could only confirm
two foreigners were among
the dead.

P
166 Reading English Newspapers

The Editorial:

Aging Passenger Air fleet Claims

More Victims
Another passenger plane crashed into a moun-
tain as it came in to land in the vicinity of
Khorramabad yesterday, killing all 105 passen-
gers and 13 crew members aboard.
The President appointed a committee to inves-
tigate the causes of the crash but, unfortunately,
the tragedy and the ensuing inquiry is a repetition
of past events.
We have witnessed similar failures in the post-
revolutionary era, in which ten major airline
crashes have claimed 1099 victims. The YAK-40
plane crash killed the Minister of Roads and
Transportation and his accompanying delegation
on May 17, 2001, as they were flying to Golestan
province. The cause of the accident was never
revealed.
Similar air crashes have been frequently rec-
orded since our passenger fleet is over twenty
years old. Developing nations replace their pas-
senger fleet every ten years while affluent and
industrial countries renew their fleet every five
years.
Worse still, much of our passenger air fleet has
been commissioned from former socialist states
who are themselves seeking Western technology
and modern planes. Officials cite lack of hard cur-
rency and international sanctions for our ailing
and antiquated passenger fleet, yet the public is at
risk and losing confidence in our national airlines.
The airline aviation authorities and national
carriers frequently blame natural phenomena for
the air accidents, but there is also a lack of trans-
parency and accountability in the airline industry.
The numerous committees that have been ap-
pointed have not come up with solutions and the
high fatality rate on passenger flights continues.
Unless we are able to establish scientific and
sound passenger travel service, airline accidents
will jeopardize the future of air passenger service
in Iran.
 Editorial 167

Note that in the news story the journalist only mentions ‘hard facts’:
What happened; when and where it happened; how many people died in
the event, and so on. He makes no value judgment as to who is to blame,
who should be held responsible for the crash, and no prescription as to
what should be done to prevent future similar incidents.
In the editorial on the same event,
the editorial writer takes a different
approach from that of the journalist.
He opens the editorial with an evalua-
tive word, i.e. “aging,” suggesting a
The editorial board is a group cause for the incident. Similar opin-
of people, usually the top edi- ions and value judgments continue
tors, who decide on a plan for throughout the editorial: “Unfortu-
each editorial that will appear nately, the tragedy and the ensuing
in a newspaper. inquiry is a repetition of past events”;
“We have witnessed similar failures in
the post-revolutionary era”; “Our pas-
senger fleet is over twenty years old”; “Worse still, much of our passenger
air fleet has been commissioned from former socialist states who are
themselves seeking Western technology and modern planes”; “There is
also a lack of transparency and accountability in the airline industry.”
The writer wraps up the editorial with a prescription as to what should be
done to make domestic flights safer.

The Language of Editorials

The language of editorials is usually formal as they are directed at a read-
ing public who is already informed about current events but who wishes
to read about the wider implications of events in the news. The formality
of the language will vary, however, from a large national newspaper to a
small provincial newspaper.
More importantly, the language of editorials is persuasive. We all use
persuasion in our everyday lives. We try to convince the car salesman to
give us a discount. We try to convince a member of the opposite sex that
we are witty, intelligent and fun. We attempt to convince a police officer
to let us off with a warning rather than giving us a speeding ticket. Edito-
rials, too, use persuasion. In fact, unlike news stories, which simply in-
form and present facts, editorials try to convince and persuade (as well as
to endorse, praise, criticize and defend). They encourage the readers to
form beliefs and ideas and persuade them to follow a specific way of
thinking. Through expressing their opinions and judgments on current
issues, editorials try to influence the value judgments of their readers and
convince them to subscribe to a specific ideology. Editorials also encour-
168 Reading English Newspapers

age actions that the editors of the newspapers think will benefit the
community.
Editorial writers plan their articles very carefully. They present chosen
phenomena, events, people and subjects to readers and using different
linguistic and non-linguistic strategies or providing supporting evidence
such as quotes from politicians, experts or reference to reports or statistics
try to influence the readers’ attitudes toward them. They try to change
the way people see things.
Editorial 169
170 Reading English Newspapers
Editorial 171
 172 Reading English Newspapers

Editorial opinion generally is not person-

al, i.e. it does not derive from the personal
experiences or opinions of a single editor.
Even when written by a single editor, edito-
rials count as the opinion of the newspaper.
This ‘impersonal’ nature of editorials af-
fects their structure. First person pronouns
and stories about personal experiences will
be quite rare in them. They mostly focus on
public (news) events, and support general
(social, economic, cultural or political) opin-
ions usually shared by other elite groups in
society.
The editorials of different newspapers are
quite diverse in their styles and textual strat-
egies, e.g. in the selection of lexical items,
syntactic structures and modes of argumen-
tation, suggesting a distinctive ‘voice’ for
each newspaper. The variation in textual
strategies and style is according to the target
readership of the newspapers. However,
‘op-ed’ page, which means, liter-
Many newspapers also run an
ally, ‘opposite (of) editorial’. This
refers to the fact that this page is
positioned opposite from the edi-
torial page. However, it does not
mean the opinions on it are nec-
essarily opposite of the editorial
page. This page includes editori-
als and opinions from other
newspapers, wire services and
syndicated columnists. It may
also include statements of opin-
ions from local government and
civic leaders. Editorials on this
newspaper’s own staff, but do not
page may also be penned by the

the newspaper’s editorial board.

while the lexicon and style may vary accord- necessarily represent the views of
ing to the target readership, the structure of
editorials is more or less the same for differ-
ent newspapers.

The Structure of Editorials

The editorial like other types of writing has a conventional organization or
structure. This structure, though not rigidly followed by all newspapers, is
as follows:

1 Headline
2 Summary of the event

3 Evaluation of the event – specially of actions and actors

4 Practical conclusion (recommendation, advice, warning, etc.)

 Editorial 173

First, like other types of newspaper articles, the editorial has a

headline. It is generally brief – usually a phrase – and may even consist of
one word.
Second, the editorial will have to briefly
tell ‘what happened’, an introduction of the
topic identifying the problem being discussed
and giving the reader some background about
the subject. Sometimes this may be very brief,
e.g. a simple phrase when the event is already
widely known (“Yesterday’s bomb attack ….”,
or “Hasty privatization occurring…..”). Also,
we may expect the first part (summary of the
event) will be more or less factual avoiding value judgment, although the
description of the event itself may take place in partly evaluative terms as
in “Terrorists yesterday bombed ….” (‘Terrorist’ is an evaluative word).
Third, it needs to be spelled out in the editorial what was good or bad,
wrong or right of the event. The editorial uses many evaluative terms (e.g.
responsible, irresponsible, honest, irrational, worst, best, etc.) in this part.
This third evaluative part will focus on the opinions of the newspaper
and will involve values and underlying ideologies.
Finally, newspaper readers may expect an answer to the question
‘What next?’, ‘What are we going to do about this?’ and such an implicit
question may be answered by the forth, concluding part of the editorial,
that is, by some kind of pragmatic solution: What the authorities should
or should not do. This forth pragmatic part often takes the forms of: a
suggested solution to a problem, recommendations for action, or a mes-
sage for the reader to think about.
To see an example of an editorial adhering to this structure, look back
at the editorial on the crash of Iranian plane near Khoramabad. The edi-
torial begins with a headline. The opening paragraph introduces the topic
to be discussed by giving a summary of the event. In the following para-
graphs the editorial evaluates the event expressing opinion and judgment
on the causes of the event and the people who should be held accounta-
ble for the tragedy. The editorial closes with a practical conclusion: What
should be done to avoid future tragedies.

The Layout of Editorials

Editorials are usually “boxed” (inside a rectangular border), vertically ar-
ranged, and are usually on the left side of the page since this is a position
of prominence on a page, and therefore importance.
 174 Reading English Newspapers

Column
Editorials are the opinions and viewpoints of the editors, which in turn
reflect and represent the views and policies of the owners of the newspa-
pers. Newspapers also give their staff-members as well as their readers an
opportunity to express their opinions on current events. That is, besides
editorials, there are other ‘opinion’ articles in newspapers. One such arti-
cle is the column, which refers to a series of articles by the same person
appearing on a regular basis (in a newspaper) and giving the person’s per-
sonal opinions on different issues. Columns can be regarded as personal
editorials, the purposes of which are to advise, criticize, entertain, ana-
lyze, interpret, or comment. They are views behind the news written by
people who take an interest in explaining behind-the-scene events.
Note that columns are different from editorials in that they are the
opinions of the writer and not those of the newspaper. They use singular
voice, i.e. uses the personal “I” in contrast to editorials which use plural
voice. Column writers may talk about their personal interests and person-
al agenda, but editorials speak in the interest of the public and aim at the
public good.
The writers of columns are called columnists, who are either staff
members of the newspaper or syndicated columnists, who write for dif-
ferent newspapers.
Columnists are sometimes famous and influential, so their columns
are often headed by their pictures. Each columnist has his own style.
Some try to be funny; others are very serious and use a very formal style.
Editorial 175
176 Reading English Newspapers

In the following column, the writer expresses his personal views on

President Bush’s conduct of key domestic and foreign affairs. That is, the
columnist criticizes President Bush for failure to achieve his goals.

Bush Is Stumbling on Three

of His Key Goals

James Pinkerton

Good leaders set goals and then set peace.

up processes to achieve those goals.
Lesser leaders watch helplessly, even
cluelessly, as those processes get away
from them, carrying them toward un-
wanted results.
Meet President George W. Bush,
who is having a hard time managing
the process, let alone achieving his
goals.
As evidence, one might consider
three processes that Bush has lost con-
trol over, all now pulling him toward
destinations he never wanted to reach.
But now here he is, waist-deep in the
big muddies of the Mideast, global
warming and the de-legitimization of
his own presidency.
Bush never intended to get involved
in mediating the Arab-Israeli conflict,
but pressure from world opinion, am-
plified by the State Department, spun
him around. So now he’s into the nitty-
gritty of negotiation, or at least he says
he is. On Saturday he stood next to
Hosni Mubarak, declaring that he and
the Egyptian leader shared the grand
goal of two states - one Israeli, one
Palestinian - "living side by side in
OK, but how to get to that goal? Did
Bush agree with Mubarak that there
should be a firm timetable for a final
settlement ? On that matter, Bush was
vague, saying merely, We need to start
immediately in building the institutions
necessary for the emergence of a Pales-
tinian state. But wait: Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, now visiting
Washington, has made it crystal clear
that he won’t accept a timetable, and
almost as clear that he doesn’t want a
Palestinian state. And for its part, the
Palestinian leadership shows no inter-
est in living peacefully side by side with
Israel.
But now, having stated the goal of a
Palestinian state, is Bush going to go sit
back as both Israelis and Palestinians
thwart him? Such a stalemate might be
inevitable, but for the sake of the coun-
try’s credibility - not to mention his
own personal credibility - Bush should
be careful about committing himself to
goals he can’t achieve. Honest brokers
should think in advance about bad con-
sequences if their words are broken
and thus made to appear dishonest.

And now to a second issue where
the process is beating the leader. On
June 3, the Environmental Protection
Agency sent a report to the United Na-
tions conceding that pollutants were
the cause of global warming: The
changes observed over the last several
decades are likely mostly due to human
activities. That admission on emis-
sions, of course, was a reversal of the
Bush Administration's previous dogma.
The next day, the president distanced
himself from the document. I read the
report put out by the bureaucracy, he
snapped, closing the matter as far as he
was concerned. But the report was
hammered out by six federal agencies.
Moreover, if Bush were truly outraged,
he could have fired, for example, EPA
Administrator Christine Todd Whit-
man.
Bush doesn’t think such a drastic
step is necessary, but in allowing the
report to stand, more or less, he con-
tinues the drift into a costly emissions-
control program. Many will cheer, of
course - but few cheerers voted for
Bush.
Speaking of votes, consider what’s
happening to his legitimacy as the 43rd
president. On May 21, the Justice De-
partment announced its intention to
sue three Florida counties for viola-
tions of the Voting Rights Act in the
Editorial 177
2000 election. Yup, this is the same
sunshine State that Bush carried by
just 537 votes, out of nearly 6 million
ballots cast. Given that narrow mar-
gin, couldn’t even the smallest irregu-
larity have tipped those 25 electoral
votes, and thus the White House, to-
ward Democrat Al Gore? Asked that
exact question, Ralph Boyd, Bush’s
assistant attorney general for civil
rights, replied, I couldn't even begin
to answer that.
But of course, Democrats know the
answer they want, and they are push-
ing the process to achieve their goal,
demanding more investigations, all of
which help make their case - that
Bush didn't deserve to win Florida or
the presidency. And Bush’s own Jus-
tice Department, having failed to bring
up other voting irregularities that
went against Republican voters, is
now certifying that the 2000 vote
count was prejudiced against Demo-
crats.
In April 2001, the president de-
scribed his management style: I dele-
gate, he told CBS News, but I set the
goals for the administration. Four-
teen months later, it’s obvious that his
delegates have goals of their own. And
yet the Goal-Setter-in-Chief doesn't
seem to notice, or even suspect.
 178 Reading English Newspapers

Letters to the Editor

Besides columns, which are often written by professional contributors
(both staff and non-staff writers), there are other opinions in newspapers
which are expressed by ordinary people from different social and educa-
tional backgrounds. These opinions are printed in a section labeled ‘letters
to the editor’. The letters section is the readers’ forum. The letters carry a
wide range of topics. They may express senders’ opinions on current na-
tional or international affairs, or they may be about personal experiences.
They are written for a variety of purposes: to complain, suggest, observe,
criticize, thank, request, discuss and debate. Letters are usually short and
to the point, and the editors may edit them even further to make them
shorter.
The structure of letters is more or less similar to that of the editorial.
The writer starts the letter with the statement of the problem, i.e. the is-
sue on which he wants to present a comment. Then, he presents his eval-
uation of the issue, and finally closes his letter with a suggestion or a
practical conclusion.
The following letter begins with a reference to a previously published
article in the newspaper titled “A War Shrouded in Silence.” In so doing,
the writer specifies the topic on which he is going to comment. Then, like
an editorial, the writer starts his evaluation of the event: …that the West’s
silence over Chechnya makes it an accomplice to the Russians, that the
West has not taken a consistent policy toward Bosnia and Chechnya, and
that NATO is to blame for not stopping the killing of Muslims.
Finally, the writer draws the conclusion that the West is not honest in
its condemning of terrorism in different parts of the world and that it has
taken a hypocritical approach toward the world issues.
 Editorial 179

NATO and U.S. Choose

Silence on Chechnya
Re “A war Shrouded in Silence,” July 16:
The only reason the atrocities being
committed in Chechnya are “shrouded
in silence” is because NATO, led by the
U.S., chooses silent complicity with the
Russians. I find it ironic that while the
UN tries Slobodan Milosevic for war
crimes in Kosovo and Bosnia, the West
permits the Russians to commit geno-
cidal war against the Muslim Chechen
people.
Of course, the trial of Milosovic is
primarily a mechanism for NATO to de-
ny its complicity in the mass slaughter
of Muslims. NATO failed to lift a finger to
stop the mass rapes and murders of the
Bosnian Muslims by Serbs and Croats;
indeed, its arms blockade ensures the
success of these crimes against humani-
ty. Harvard professor Samuel P. Hun-
tington has noted that the failure of the
U.S. to defend the Bosnians was in large
part due to the European opposition to
the creation of a Muslim state in Eu-
rope. The strategy was clear: Let Milso-
vic slaughter the Muslims, then We’ll
place him on trial and look like good
guys.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vla-
dimir Putin, the chief engineer of the
massacre of the Chechens, is still treat-
ed as a legitimate world leader. Chech-
nya falls outside of NATO’s sphere of
influence, so not even lip service need be
paid to Russian atrocities. Meanwhile,
the U.S. holds up a few Algerian radicals
and decries “Islamic terrorism.” The
hypocrisy is astounding.

Walter Comins-Richmond
Alhambra
180 Reading English Newspapers
The following are two letters sent to the editor(s) of a newspaper, the
second letter in response to the first one.
Women Drivers
Sir, __ A wll-known man
said recently that teaching
one’s wife to drive a car was
the worst job he could think of.
It was, he said, a difficult job
and one that caused bad tem-
per.
No one has troubled to
point out that women cause
fewer accidents (in proportion
to their numbers as drivers)
than men do. In America,
where half the drivers are
women, there are five or six
times as many accidents by
men as by women.
We hear hundreds of sug-
gestions for reducing the num-
ber of road accidents, but men
are so unwilling to admit that
women drivers are more care-
ful than men that no one seri-
ously considers the employ-
ment of more women drivers.
If more women and fewer
men were employed to drive
commercial cars and vans, the
number of deaths on the roads
would soon go down.
Yours faithfully
Mary Glynne
New York
Figures Can Lie
Sir, __ Mrs. Glynne’s letter on the sub-
ject of women drivers makes a wrong use
of figures. Figures, it is said, can be used
to prove anything. Mrs. Glynne points
out that half the drivers in America are
women, and concludes that, because
there are five or six accidents caused by
men drivers for every one accident
caused by a women driver, women driv-
ers are very much more careful than men.
This is a false conclusion. Most wom-
en drive only occasionally, usually for
short visits to friends or to the shops.
Men, especially those driving vans and
lorries, drive for much greater distances
and for far longer times. Many of them
are at the wheel seven or eight hours a
day. I do not wish to suggest that women
are careless drivers, but I must protest
against Mrs. Glynne’s comparison. It is
wrong to compare the number of acci-
dents caused by men with the number
caused by women without also compar-
ing the total number of hours during
which men and women drive. The fig-
ures or men and women who hold driv-
ing licenses cannot give a true compari-
son.
It is easy to use figures wrongly.
Yours faithfully
B. A. Windsor
New York
 Editorial 181

Editorial Cartoon
As you remember from Unit 1, the newspaper uses different codes for pre-
senting news and information. The codes are linguistic, typographic, and
graphic. Expressing opinion and judgment in editorials, columns, and
letters to the editor is mostly done through linguistic and typographic
codes. Expressing opinion, however, may be done through graphic code
too. The newspaper uses cartoons and caricatures to comment and ex-
press opinion on current issues in the news. These are referred to as edito-
rial or political cartoons. They are editorials in pictorial form. They aim at
amusing the reader, illuminating public opinion, and, like editorials, ex-
pressing views and attitudes on current events.
The following are an editorial and an editorial cartoon expressing
opinion on the same issue. Notice how just in one cartoon the cartoonist
succinctly and effectively sums up the arguments made by a whole arti-
cle.

The Editorial Cartoon

 182 Reading English Newspapers
The Editorial
Not French
French authorities last week banned the
Lebanese TV network Al-Manar. The reason
behind the unexpected move is said to be a
show broadcast by the TV that sparked pro-
tests by powerful Jewish organizations in
France.
The country’s Supervisory Council for TV
and Radio Programs claimed the network
provokes anti-Semitic sentiments.
Freedom of the press is not a new subject
and for over two decades has been a top so-
ciopolitical priority in Europe. France, as the
cradle of civilization, has played an important
role in supporting and promoting freedoms
and civil liberties. However, the question is
what is the range and scope of this freedom?
Under the present circumstances, can it
be said that the press is free only if and
when it complies with western thinking and
value systems!?
How is it that the West has the right to
censorship and can stifle the mass media if it
does not comply with their demands? Paris
has deprived 15 million French citizens fa-
miliar with the Arabic language from watch-
ing their programs of choice.
The French Declaration of Human and Civ-
il Rights of 1793 and 1795, annexation to the
constitution of 1946 and of 1958 stress the
rights of citizens to free access to infor-
mation. The TV network that France has de-
clared illegal is one of the popular networks
of the Arab world. It has support also
among Lebanon’s Christians.
Preventing the broadcast of news and
views by Al-Manar is a major hindrance to
the free flow of information.
The network stands accused of provok-
ing anti-Semitic sentiments. But it is still not
clear to what extent this charge is valid. It
seems what has been characterized as anti-
Semitic is actually opposition to the crimi-
nal policies of the Zionist regime.
This TV organization focuses its broad-
casts on Zionist atrocities in Occupied Pal-
estine, its inhumane moves against Pales-
tinian civilians, and the widespread death
and destruction unleashed by Sharon’s ar-
my.
It is obvious that showing such scenes
and regularly exposing the crimes of Amer-
ica’s closest ally in the region, is not palata-
ble to some politicians. This is while sec-
tions of the western mass media love to
spread the perceived fear of Islam and
hardly miss an opportunity to tarnish the
image of our religion.
The smallest moves by radical groups
with Islamic identities become pretexts for
attacking Islam and Muslims. Putting the
word Islam alongside terrorism and the
uninterrupted reference to Islamic terror-
ism has for long become a permanent fea-
ture of the western press.
The French government is showing mis-
placed concern and too much sensitivity
towards the issue, and knowingly or other-
wise has emerged at the forefront of anti-
Islamic moves. Earlier this year it was the
same government in Paris that imposed a
ban on the Hijab for Muslim students and
those who refused to discard their head-
scarves were expelled from school.
It seems the French are following a
course of action very different from their
ancestors who were pioneers of freedom
and democracy. The question is why the
leaders in France should take measures that
do not help its image in today’s complicated
world.
 Editorial 183

In the linguistic code, there are many lexical and

grammatical means for evaluating events, people, things,
actions, and phenomena. These include attitudinal quali-
fiers (e.g. irresponsible policy, key proposal), nouns with
evaluative connotations (e.g. threat, promise), sentence
Editorial: the
adverbials (hopefully, significantly, possibly, frequently),
newspaper’s official
and modals (could be, should be). Similarly, in the graphic
position
code, there are also means and conventions through
which it is possible to indicate how important an element Column: opinion of
should be seen to be (salience, or visual importance), Professional column-
whether an image is to be read realistically or as a fantasy, ists or newspaper
whether a person is good or bad, acting desirably or unde- staff
sirably, and so forth. Letter to the editor:
The editorial cartoon, as a means of editorializing, uses opinion of private
both these codes to perform its functions. It uses both lin- citizen
guistic and graphic elements, and combines them into a
cohesive and coherent whole to express opinion. (note, however, that in
some editorial cartoons the linguistic code may not be used, i.e. there is
no caption, mini-dialogue, or mini-monodialogue).

Elements of Editorial Cartoons

Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, often controversial, the editorial
cartoons express opinions and attitudes. The cartoons can be very diverse,
but there is a certain established style among most of them. Most editori-
al cartoons use a number of elements such as ‘symbolism’, ‘exaggera-
tion/caricature’, ‘metaphor’, ‘metonymy’, ‘analogy’, and ‘irony’ to ex-
plain complicated political situations, and thus sum up a current event
with a humorous picture.
The most important element of editorial cartoons is symbolism which
refers to the practice of using symbols – pictures or designs – that (meta-
phorically or metonymically) represent something else. That is, instead of
using many words or sentences to convey an idea, editorial cartoons of-
ten use pictures as symbols for larger ideas, people, organizations, and so
on. Over the years, for example, certain common symbols have been re-
peatedly used by many different cartoonists. Examples include the use of
a ‘donkey’ and ‘elephant’ to represent the United States Democratic Party
and Republican Party respectively, ‘Uncle Sam’ to represent the United
States, a ‘bear’ to represent Russia, a ‘dragon’ to represent China, a dove
with an olive branch to represent peace, and so forth.
Exaggeration/Caricature, i.e. overstating an aspect of a problem or ex-
aggerating a person’s physical features is also commonly used in editorial
cartoons. They are tools that editorial cartoonists use to make their opin-
 184 Reading English Newspapers

ions clear. Without exaggeration and caricature, the cartoonist’s opinion

might not be clear enough, or the problem might not be obvious.
Analogy, i.e. comparing two things, for instance a situation or event
with a historical or fictional event, is the next common element in edito-
rial cartoons. Like symbolism, an analogy can often express an idea that
might otherwise take many words to describe or explain. It is sometimes
easier to describe a situation or event by comparing it to a historical or
fictional situation or event.
Irony, i.e. contrasting (often humorously) between appearance and re-
ality is also a common element used in editorial cartoons. Cartoonists of-
ten use irony to emphasize a point because it suggests the absurdity of a
problem.
In addition to the above-mentioned elements there are other elements
in editorial cartoons. These include dialogue bubbles (bubbles in which
the characters’ speech appears), captions, and labels to make clear to the
reader what people and objects are being represented.
To ‘read’ editorial cartoons, you should first iden-
tify the symbols and the other elements used in
them. The symbol identification is not enough, how-
ever. The next step is to try to understand the mean-
Editorial cartoons are not ings, both denotative and connotative, of these sym-
just like other comics
bols and elements. Finally, drawing on your
meant to entertain. They
may be funny, but their knowledge of symbols, literary elements, and
main purpose is to offer an knowledge of the world events, you should try to
opinion or point of view connect these symbols and elements to fully analyze
about some issue or prob- and understand the cartoon’s point of view and opin-
lem in the news. ion.
Like editorials, editorial We conclude this section with the analysis of an

 draw attention to an
cartoons are meant to
idea, event, etc.
 present a point of view
 encourage a course of
action
 stimulate debate on an
issue, event, etc.
example cartoon. The second cartoon goes back to a
time when the U.S. introduced North Korea and Iraq
as two countries dangerous to the world peace. To
control them, however, the U.S. adopted two differ-
ent approaches. As for Iraq, the U.S. decided to use
military force to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
And for North Korea, which for many was more dan-
gerous and a more immediate threat than Iraq, the
U.S. chose the less severe options of ‘negotiations’
and ‘sanctions’.
 Editorial 185

In the cartoon the caricatures of Saddam Hussein, George Bush, and Kim
Jung II represent Iraq, the United States, and North Korea respectively.
This is an interesting use of metonymy. Metonymy is a stylistic device by
which one entity is used to stand for another associated entity. An obvi-
ous example is the use of caricatures of the leaders of the various coun-
tries as representatives for the countries themselves. The bomb-like fig-
ures of Saddam and Kim Jung imply the danger they pose to the world
peace or the United States. President Bush lights the fuse of a distant
bomb while turning his back on the closer one. The core meaning of this
cartoon is the profound and dangerous contradiction between the U.S.
policies towards Iraq and North Korea, and the immediacy of the danger
posed by each.
 186 Reading English Newspapers

Types of Writing
Hard News stories aim simply to inform. Readers expect clear, concise
and unbiased information from news stories. Usually written in inverted
pyramid style, news stories provide the major facts of a story in the first
few paragraphs (called the lead). This allows readers to quickly obtain the
most important information.

Feature stories cover topics such as social trends, health, fashion, food,
travel, and sidelines to news stories. Feature stories deal with facts and
information, but they are not hard news. Written for entertainment, fea-
ture articles use the writer’s imagination and creativity and may include
the writer’s opinion

Opinion: There are several places where you will find opinion writing.
The most obvious is the clearly labeled Opinion page. Here you’ll find edi-
torials expressing the views of the newspaper’s editorial board (always
unsigned), letters to the editor (always signed), editorial cartoons and
 Editorial 187

Test your underestanding of the unit.

1. Editorials
a. present facts in a fair and balanced way
b. inform and entertain
c. reflect the position of people
d. reflect the positions of the editors of newspapers

2. Editorial writers try to

a. influence the opinion and value judgment of their readers
b. show their disagreement with common beliefs
c. reject the judgment of their readers
d. make unknown matters familiar

3. Different newspapers
a. choose the same topic for their editorials
b. usually hold the same views on the controversial issues in the
news
c. may hold opposite views on the same issue
d. present the same arguments to support their views

4. Editorials in different newspapers

a. usually use the same textual strategies
b. use formal language
c. use informal language
d. differ from one another in their style and textual strategies

5. Editorials
a. are similar to news stories in their structure
b. have their own structure and organization
c. do not usually have a conventional structure
d. have varied structures in different newspapers

6. Editorials often begin with a(n)

a. introduction of the topic
b. solution offered by the writer
c. alternative solution
d. practical conclusion

7. Newspapers
a. only express their editors’ opinions
b. only express their staff-writers’ opinions
c. may sometimes express ordinary people’s opinions
d. usually withhold opinion
 188 Reading English Newspapers

8. A difference between columns and editorials is that columns are

a. longer than editorials
b. more formal than editorials
c. not necessarily the official views of the newspaper
d. critical of the issues in the news

9. ‘Letters to the editor’ section expresses the opinions of

a. staff-writers
b. non-staff writers
c. the editors of a newspaper
d. elite people

10. The letters sent to the editor are

a. almost exclusively about the sender’s personal experiences
b. almost exclusively about current issues
c. usually complaining or criticizing
d. about a wide range of topics

Exercises

A Read the following editorials and answer the questions that

follow each.

Double Standards on Establishment of
WMD-Free Middle East
1. The International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) announced on Sat-
urday that due to some problems,
there would be a delay in the release
of IAEA Director Mohammed El-
Baradei’s report on Iran’s nuclear
program. The IAEA spokesperson
made no further comment.
2. ElBaradei had been scheduled to
deliver a comprehensive report on
Iran’s cooperation with the United
Nations nuclear watchdog to the IAEA
Board of Governors on Sunday.
3. The issue of Iran’s nuclear activi-
ties has been headline news around
the world for about nine months now.
In fact, the U.S. and Western media
are interested in the case from a polit-
ical point of view, while in reality it is
only a technical matter.
4. Moreover, the secret meetings
between high-ranking IAEA officials
and representatives of the United
States and the Zionist regime’s intel-
ligence services indicate that a new
plot against the Islamic Republic is
being hatched using Iran’s nuclear
program as a pretext.
5. Warnings about Iran’s civilian
nuclear program are being issued day
after day, yet the Zionist regime’s nu-
clear weapons program, which is a
serious threat to world peace, is never
questioned or even mentioned by the
U.S. and other Western countries. It is
common knowledge that the Zionist
regime possesses a stockpile of at
least 250 advanced nuclear warheads
as well as other weapons of mass de-
struction (WMD).
1. Paragraphs 1 and 2
a. give an evaluation of the event
Editorial 189
6. Unfortunately, Israel has enor-
mous influence over the IAEA due to
the support it receives from the U.S.,
which is itself beholden to the Zionist
lobby. The Zionist regime not only
refuses to sign international agree-
ments such as the nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the
93+2 Additional Protocol to the NPT,
it also violates the most basic stand-
ards of environmental protection
with its nuclear program.
7. On the other hand, the Islamic
Republic has repeated time and again
that its nuclear program is meant for
peaceful purposes, and its nuclear
dossier has not been forwarded to the
UN Security Council, despite the ef-
forts of hostile countries.
8. However, it is clear that if the
IAEA, under the influence of the Zion-
ist lobby, intends to continue to turn a
blind eye to Israel’s nuclear weapons
program and refrain from inspecting
its nuclear activities, the world and
the region will witness a dangerous
arms race in the near future.
9. Therefore, international organi-
zations advocating world peace, par-
ticularly the United Nations, should
take the measures necessary to make
the Middle East region a nuclear
weapons-free and WMD-free zone.
However, prospects for Middle East
peace look bleak, since the Zionist
regime appears to have no intention
of signing important disarmament
conventions such as the NPT and the
93+2 Additional Protocol to the NPT.
190 Reading English Newspapers

b. introduce the topic to be discussed

c. expand on the headline
d. draw a conclusion

2. The topic on which the editorial is going to comment is

a. IAEA’s condemnation of Iran’s secret nuclear program
b. Iran’s secret nuclear program
c. IAEA Board of Governors’ report on Iran’s nuclear program
d. IAEA’s Director’s expected report on Iran’s nuclear program

3. The editorial’s evaluation of the event begins mainly from Paragraph

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 6

4. According to the editorial, Iran’s nuclear program

a. has been among the top news stories for some time
b. has only been mentioned in newspapers’ headlines
c. has been mostly covered up by Western media
d. is dangerous to the world peace
5. According to Paragraph 4,
a. the report is expected to be positive
b. the report is expected to be negative
c. IAEA officials are making decisions independently
d. IAEA officials are Israeli secret agents
6. “Double standards” in the editorial’s headline means the U.S. and Western
countries have
a. no standards in dealing with world issues
b. two rules for dealing with world issues
c. a single policy in dealing with world issues
d. taken two different approaches to the same issue in two different countries
7. “Double standards” in the editorial’s headline is elaborated on and exemplified
(mainly) in paragraphs
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
c. 5 through 8
d. 1 through 4
8. According to Paragraph 5,
a. despite the similarity of Iran and Israel’s nuclear programs, the West has
taken two different approaches
b. although Iran’s program is peaceful, it is being ignored
 Editorial 191

c. despite the difference of Iran and Israel’s nuclear programs, the West has
the same policy towards them
d. although Iran’s program is peaceful and Israel’s program military, they are
not receiving equal attention

9. Which of the following is not an evaluative sentence?

a. a new plot against Iran is being hatched
b. Israel has a stockpile of at least 250 nuclear warheads
c. The U.S. media are interested in the case from a political point of view
d. Israel has enormous influence over the IAEA

10. “Which is itself beholden to Zionist lobby” in Paragraph 6 means

a. the U.S. exerts influence on Israel through its supporters in Israel
b. Israel exerts influence on the U.S. through its supporters in the U.S.
c. Israel exerts influence on IAEA through its representative in the Agency
d. the U.S. exerts influence on IAEA through its representative in the Agency

11. According to the editorial, IAEA’s ignoring Israeli nuclear program will en-
courage other countries to
a. produce and purchase more weapons
b. buy nuclear weapons form Israel
c. ignore it too
d. develop civilian nuclear programs

12. It is inferred from the editorial that if IAEA found Iran developing nuclear
weapons, it would
a. directly force Iran to sign Additional Protocol to NPT
b. consult Israel to take proper actions
c. inspect Iran’s nuclear activities
d. refer Iran’s case to the UN Security Council

13. The editorial concludes with a

a. praise
b. regret
c. warning
d. congratulation

War on drugs
1. It has become fashionable in elite home. We still cling to racist stereo-
circles to claim that the United States is types about what drug users look like
losing the War on Drugs when the truth and where they live, preferring to think
is that we may be winning some battles. that the plague is limited to minorities
2. According to the most recent re- in the inner city when it has long since
port of the Partnership for a Drug-Free made its way to affluent and mostly
192 Reading English Newspapers

1. The topic on which the editorial is going to comment is rejection of the claim
that the U.S. has
a. not been successful in its fight with drug traffickers
b. refused to fight with drug traffickers
c. been successful in its war on drugs
d. never fought with drug traffickers

2. The editorial’s evaluation of the event begins from paragraph

 Editorial 193

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
3. In Paragraphs 2 and 3 two comparisons are made to support the claim that the
U.S.
a. is winning some battles
b. is losing the war on drugs
c. will never win the war on drugs
d. is refusing to win the war on drugs
4. “Poll” in Paragraph 3 refers to a
a. general election
b. survey of public opinion
c. TV program
d. drug-fighting organization
5. Paragraph 4
a. provides more evidence for the claim of the U.S. success in war on drugs
b. provides more evidence that the risk of drugs for the youth is greater than
that for other people
c. emphasizes the prevention of young people’s use of drugs
d. emphasizes the dangers of Marijuana
6. Paragraph 5 discusses
a. some wrong approaches adopted by officials to solve the drug use problem
b. some evidence that the U.S. is winning the war on drugs
c. some solutions to the drug use problem the writer agrees with
d. the approach the writer believes officials should adopt
7. Paragraph 5 discusses the commonly-held mistaken view that
a. drug use is not a problem among white people
b. minorities only live in suburbs
c. drug use is not a problem among minorities
d. mostly affluent people use drugs

8. Paragraphs 6 through 8 mainly discuss the

a. claim that younger ages are experimenting with drugs
b. idea that parents are unsure whether their talk to their kids is effective
c. dangers of drug use for younger ages
d. solution favored by the writer and some supportive evidence

B Examine the editorial cartoons below and answer the following ques-
tions for each.
194 Reading English Newspapers

1. Are there any real people in the cartoon? Who is portrayed in the cartoon?

2. Did the cartoonist exaggerate any physical features of a person? If yes, describe
how it was done.

3. Are there symbols in the cartoon? What are they and what do they represent?

4. What is the cartoon’s message?

Editorial 195