Question

Compare the news and editorial published in a daily news paper

Answer 1

Answer:

The conventional explanation would be:

• A news story reports the facts about something that happened.

• An editorial gives the newspaper’s (or other publication’s) opinion on a subject - usually something in the news, but not necessarily.

Answer 2

The conventional explanation would be:

• A news story reports the facts about something that happened.

• An editorial gives the newspaper’s (or other publication’s) opinion on a subject - usually something in the news, but not necessarily.

Now, I think that’s slightly misleading. There is a clear distinction, but it’s not just “facts vs opinion”.

For example, some news stories may include a certain amount of analysis or speculation about the subject of the story - for example, they might say this development is likely to hurt the governor’s chances of re-election.

This is, in effect, an interpretation by the journalist of why the news story is important, and what might happen next.

It’s a matter of some debate among journalists whether that should or should not be allowed in news stories, and practices vary.

However, a news story should never say as a result of this news, the governor does not deserve to be re-elected - that is giving an opinion on what is right and wrong, which should be reserved for the editorials.

And that’s the real difference. News stories, even those with analysis or interpretation, are about what is. Editorials can simply be analyses of what is, too, but - unlike news stories - they can also be about what should be.

There are also other types of opinion writing that are not editorials. The editorial expresses the point of view of the publication, as an institution (generally laid down by the top editors).

But there can also be columns written by individuals, reviews of cultural events by critics, and so on, which express opinions. These are not news stories or editorials.

Finally, one point needs clarifying. Sometimes the word “editorial” is used to describe all the material in a publication that’s written by journalists (as opposed to advertising). In that sense, all the news is “editorial content”.

This is a completely different meaning, though, and the word is mostly only used in that sense within the journalism business.

Hope it helps you :)