The English Newspaper Language

Newspaper writing

It has long been recognized that newspaper writing has eventually evolved into a separate language style, characterized by a number of features, all of which serve the specific purposes of this means of public communication. Depending on the character of the reading stuff, which may vary from brief news items to big informational articles, from pieces of analytical comment and feature articles to advertisements and announcements, certain devices have come into practical usage and are widely employed as professional tools.

Newspaper vocabulary abounds in political vocabulary of a general character (top agenda, nuclear weapons, politician, peaceful talks, terror-attack); political terms (to infringe the UN resolutions, weapons inspection, primaries, midterm elections, refugee, political asylum, coup); legal terms (cross- examination, penitentiary legislation, juvenile delinquency, summons);economic terms (fiscal year, ordinary shares, depreciation, blue-chip stocks, tax evasion);technical terms, both of a general character and those reflecting latest developments in science, technology and medicine (manufacturing, alloys, injection molding machines, biotechnology, remote access service, third-generation networks, immune system, side effects, heart attack, to implant a stint, angioplasty); cultural terms (first night performance, mainstream filmmakers, script writer, psychedelic artist, acid rock); sport terms (coach, World Cup, Super Bowl, midfielder, defender, semi- finalist).

Since reading a newspaper or a magazine does not as a rule imply a time- consuming routine (unless some material attracts the reader's special attention), a cursory glance should suffice to understand the keynote of each particular piece of information. To facilitate easy and quick understanding, newspaper writers often resort to clichés, stereotyped expressions, familiar phrases (crisis deepens, apparatus of repression, under cover of the night, people sick of listening to political rhetoric,

hands-off approach, to pull out of a deal, tough battle, major job cuts, the tide of events is in our favor).

The need to save space results in an extensive use of abbreviations (GM foods, DNA, EU, NATO, WMF, WTO). Abbreviations are especially frequent in headlines, as they not only stand out graphically, but also are quite often either ambiguous or enigmatic, which can be instrumental in attracting the reader's attention. To understand whether GM stands for General Motors or for genetically modified and to make sure that SUVs means sport-utility vehicles, while NTT is deciphered as Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one has to have a closer look at context of the article.

It also should be noted that emotionally coloured words serve to reflect the writer's stand on some particular issue and thus are quite frequently used in journalistic writing (ecological devastation, scandalous behavior, staggering sum, vicious attacks, fabulous story).

As for grammatical peculiarities of newspaper style, they are most prominent in news-in-brief sections. Most news items consist of one or two phrases, which are predominantly complex sentences with a developed system of clauses.

Newspaper style is one of the functional styles of the English language, a socially conditioned and functionally orientated linguistic unit, which is not homogeneous, as there are different substyles, but all of them have one and the same aim - to inform the reader of the facts of the day and to instruct him as to how these facts should be evaluated. The two main functions of newspaper style are the informative and the evaluative. The informative function is a leading feature of newspaper style, but the evaluative one should by no means be neglected. Thus all kinds of newspaper writing are to a greater or lesser degree both informative and evaluative.

But, of course, it is obvious that in different newspaper genres one of the two functions may prevail.

Thus, for example, it is assumed that a news story and a brief news item are essentially informative. A news story informs readers about facts, reports information objectively without opinion and without advertisement. A brief news item is the principal vehicle of information. It states facts without giving explicit comments, using the stylistically neutral language, some specific vocabulary features (such as special political and economic terms, non-termed vocabulary, newspaper clichés, abbreviations, neologisms) and grammatical peculiarities (complex sentences with a developed system of clauses, verbal constructions, syntactical complexes, attributive noun groups, specific word-order). Besides, a brief news item is calculated for a certain effect: the reader is to get the impression that he is getting the latest of latest news, right from the scene of the event in question, facts and facts alone.

An editorial, a feature story and a review are basically evaluative. A feature story borrows from the conventions of fiction, creates an entertaining portrait in lively language, uses a loose organizational structure and offers a unique angle on its subject. An editorial is a logical argument designed to influence the reader's opinion about an issue of importance to the community. A review (of a movie, play, concert, CD, restaurant, art show, book, television program, dance program) argues the merit of an artistic creation. In these genres of newspaper writing, which are also called analytical, the author can enjoy some freedom, thus he can apply not only implicit, but explicit means of evaluation as well. In these genres the writer can express his personal point of view, but, of course, there are some peculiarities. Thus the editor should follow the policy of the newspaper while the writer of a feature story can show his personal point of view.

As we see, the functions of performing and instructing the reader are characteristic of any kind of newspaper printed matter that comes under newspaper style. But in spite of the fact that all the newspaper genres perform the same functions, they are very different and have some specific features (some peculiarities in structure, in the language, grammatical peculiarities and different vocabulary features). Some features are of major importance and are characteristic of practically any newspaper genre and all its manifestations, whereas others prevail in some specific genres and some kinds of newspapers and are less (if at all) pronounced in others.

V.L.Naer singles out a list of features that makes up a unique system of distinctive features typical of newspaper style alone, but if "some features in this list are typical of all genres and help to distinguish the whole newspaper style from other functional styles, others seem to be more indicative of inter-style differentiation, being characteristic of some individual genres" [5, p.132].

According to the classification offered by V.L.Nayer the following features make up the system of distinctive parameters typical of most newspaper genres:

- The informative function

- The evaluative function

- Newspaper clichés

- Special terms

- Brevity

- Abbreviations

- N+N constructions

- Attributive noun groups

- Evaluative means

- Emotive vocabulary

- Language periphrases

- Allusions to current events

- Small paragraphs

- Short words

- Converted phrases

- Assimilated terms of other special fields

- Foreign words and barbarisms

- Neologisms

- Graphitic means

- Complex syntactical structure

- Specific word order

- Elliptical sentences

- Violation of the tenses

- Represented speech

- Stylistic devices.

Informative papers

The main purpose of the informative group of writing is to inform the reader. Without giving explicit comments the writer should give a competent interpretation and an estimation of some facts in order to form a special attitude to the fact that is described and interpreted. Points of views, pro and con, can be included, but they must be presented in an unbiased fashion.

Informative paper should do the following:

- Enlighten the audience or give them usable material.

- Present sufficient information for the needs of the audience.

- Make clear from the beginning the purpose(s) of the presentation. The author of an informative writing should

- sufficiently research the topic to gain a solid understanding of the subject.

- make sure that the opinions, facts, and figures which s/he intends to use are reliable and up-to-date.

- decide on the best way to present the information based on what the audience wants or needs to know.

Informative paper should contain the following elements:

- clear statement of purpose early in the paper.

- citations for all quotations, paraphrases, or summaries of another author; facts and figures.

Informative paper could be evaluated on some or all of the following points:

- Quality and accuracy of the research.

- Clear presentation of the information.

- Clear, logical, and appropriate organization of the information.

- Appropriateness and thoroughness of your information in light of your stated purpose, including the effective use of quotations, figures, and ' background material.

- Documentation of sources.

The News article

News articles belong to the informative group of writing. They generally follow an "inverted pyramid" structure - the most important information comes first, followed by increasingly less important information for conveying information about a current event, incident, or issue of public interest. The first sentence of the article gives the most important facts answering the main question- who, what, when, where
- as is shown in the following textual examples form The New York Times:

1) As Israel poured soldiers and artillery shells into southern Lebanon, it vowed Monday to press ahead with its war on Hezbollah and made a number of air strikes after promising a 48-hour pause in its air campaign (The NYT, August 1, 2006).

2) The Shaky, United Nations-brokered cease-fire in Lebanon suffered another blow on Sunday when the European countries that had been called upon to provide the backbone of a peacekeeping force delayed a decision on committing troops until the mission is more clearly defined.( T\he NYT, August 21, 2006)

The following paragraphs present information in descending order of importance, the details of the event, incident, or issue (how, why).

But sometimes stories become quite complex when they are written in the form of an "inverted pyramid". In order to avoid such complexity one of the other journalistic forms is occasionally used instead - a chronological or a logical order of events:

3) On Monday, a special prosecutor released a report harshly criticizing Ms. Farber for interceding with the police on behalf of her companion during a traffic stop on May 26... In discussion with members of the governor's inner circle on Wednesday, Ms.Farber and her allies also insisted that her misjudgment was no worse than Mr. Corizone's actions in February…He met with Ms.Farber at his apartment in Hoboken on Monday night and listened to hert pleas that she be punished with a fine, a letter of reprimand or some other sanctions that would preserve her job. But by Tuesday morning, the governor stopped short of directly asking for a resignation… By 3 p.m., as ranking legislators from both parties demanded that she stepped down, Mr.Corzine's staff told Ms.Farber's aides that the governor had scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference to call for a resignation. Only 15 minutes before Mr. Corzine was to step up to the lectern in his outer office at the State House on Tuesday, Ms. Farber's advisers told the governor that she had decided to resign and asked that the announcement be pushed back to 6 p.m. so they could appear jointly (The NYT, August 17, 2006).

To remain objective a news article should use neutral language while presenting a diversity of opinions, voices, and perspectives of the event, incident, or issue under discussion. A news article should also quote sources knowledgeable about the topic of the article, and most of the research of the reporter of the article should also involve interviewing people rather than reading through written sources.

"The most remarkable peculiarity of news articles is the way the original speech is reported. It is conveyed through a variety of forms: the reporter's own speech (least effective), direct speech, indirect speech, and represented uttered speech. A combination of three forms is generally to be found" [5, p.61].

In terms of evaluation according this genre, according to A.D.Shveitser, appears to be more neutral. Evaluative elements, which show the reporter's personal point of view, are completely excluded from this genre. But it does not mean that news article is an ideally monofunctional text, as in reality such texts do not exist in the press. Limitations that are put on this genre do not prevent the writer from expressing his point of view or the aim of a newspaper organization. There are no direct statements coming from the reporter. However the text itself and quotations that the author applies in his article show whom the author supports.

It is traditionally considered that news articles:

- report information objectively without opinion and without advertisement

- include relevant details that answer anticipated questions

- avoid the sensational

- limit details to facts only

- are brief

- use fairly short and uncomplicated sentences

- begin a new paragraph for every new idea

- use two- or three-sentence paragraphs only

- have a headline that states the subject

- have a byline*

________________

* The byline on a newspaper article gives the name, and often the position, of the writer of the article. Bylines are traditionally placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some newspapers place bylines at the bottom of the page, to leave more room for graphical elements around the headline

The straight news lead - the news-service lead - is one sentence of no more than 35 words and no more than one comma. As we have already said the lead must contain all the essential information of the article so a hurried reader or a reader not particularly interested in the topic, can quickly grasp the essentials and move on. Many journalism guides and texts say the lead should also make the reader want to read on to learn the details of the article. Journalists are taught a simple rule about basic news leads, called the "5-W's." What's going on? Who's involved? When did this change? Where is this happening? How did it happen? Why did it happen?

The form of the lead sentence is the straightforward declarative sentence, usually with the verb in simple past tense: subject-verb-object.

The writer shouldn't clutter up the lead, or the article, with adjectives and adverbs. Of course, adjectives add color and description, but writing that employs vivid verbs and telling details is much more powerful than writing that leans heavily on modifiers. And a great deal of objectivity can be lost and bias introduced through the use of adjectives and adverbs.

Articles need attribution, and leads often do as well. Unless the reporter personally observes the event, the article is based on what the reporter learned from some person or some document. Those people and documents need to be cited in attribution because that helps the reader evaluate the reliability of the information. If the most important statement of the article, the lead, is based on information that should be attributed, the lead must contain that attribution.

Usually, the source of the information is not as important as the information itself, so it goes at the end of the sentence, rather than at the front. The usual form is: subject- verb-object, time element (when the event happened) and attribution:

4) Even as Gov. Jon S. Corzine was minutes away from publicly calling for the resignation of Attorney General Zulima V. Farber, Ms. Farber was deciding whether to fight the effort to force her out, according to four people involved in the complex negotiations (The NYT, August 17, 2006).

5) A former deputy press secretary to Rudolph W. Guiliani was found strangled in his Greenwich Village apartment Monday night, and investigators believe that he may have known his killer, the police said yesterday (The NYT, August, 24,2006).

The author of the article shouldn't use unfamiliar names in the lead. The principle behind this rule is that readers find it easier to grasp a lot of information quickly if you begin with something they know or will recognize and then add the unfamiliar details later.

But we come across such a case when the news article departs from a traditional introduction and apply a catchy lead:

6) Pluto got its walking papers yesterday.

Throw away the place mats. Redraw the classroom charts. Take a pair of scissors to the solar system mobile.

After a year of wrangling and a week of debate, astronomers voted for a sweeping reclassification of the solar system. In what many of them described as a triumph of science over sentiment, Pluto was demoted to the status of a "draft planet" (The NYT, August, 25, 2006).

The rest of a news story is called the body. In a news story, the body supports the lead and in the classic inverted pyramid style is organized so that the facts and quotes are written in declining importance.

After the lead, a story may have a theme paragraph that spells out the theme or sub-themes in greater detail. The story then proceeds with sections that explore the theme and sub-theme in more detail, and in order.

In addition to the writer's narrative, each sub-theme is backed up with background facts and relevant quotations.

The body of a story can be written in other ways that depart from the inverted pyramid. One form is called the hourglass, which tries to retain the suspense of traditional fictional storytelling.

News writers also refer to a story's "flow." Writers don't just plop down a string of ideas and sub-themes, one after another. They string them together by writing "transitions." Those come at the end of one idea and relate that thought or statement to the next idea.

Inverted pyramids stories don't need a strong ending since those hard news stories simply end when there is nothing more to say.

Analytical Group

According to O.A.Kravtsova the main purpose of the analytical group of the newspaper genres is to comment on the facts, given in the news reports, to provide the reader with some conclusion, to persuade him that the point of view of the author or the news institution is the only right one. The predominant functions of the articles of the analytical group are the directive and the expressive [2]. The editorial and the feature story belong to this group of newspaper writing.

A high-quality analytical writing has a genuine tone of authority and wisdom. The author should write in powerful, active verbiage.

Analytical writings frequently quote authorities on subjects or include statistics to back up the essay's main thesis. But the author of the article can't just randomly throw facts and figures into his/her work, but s/he must make sure that they support your thesis and are appropriate for the length and tone of the essay.

It's essential for the writer to think like a chess master if he going to persuade the reader of his point. That means the author of an analytical writing must become adept at anticipating any questions or arguments that the audience might have regarding his thesis.

The Editorial

Editorial is a variety of a newspaper style, the main function of which is to influence the reader's opinion by giving such an interpretation of certain facts that would make the reader accept it as his own. Editorials are opinion pieces, written by members of the editorial board of the paper (a group of people, usually at a print publication, who dictate the tone and direction that the publication's editorials will take). Editorials are typically not written by the regular reporters of the news organization, but are instead collectively authored by a group of individuals. But the opinion that the editor gives in the article doesn't belong only to him, he should follow the policy of those who back or own the newspaper. Thus in the writings of this genre we don't find any judgments coming directly from the author.

There are commonly known four main types of the Editorials are:

1. Editorials of argument and persuasion. Such editorials take a firm stand on a problem or condition. They attempt to persuade the reader to think the same way. This editorial often proposes a solution or advises taking some definite action.
2. Editorials of information and interpretation. Editorials of this type attempt to explain the meaning or significance of a situation or news event. There is a wide variety of editorials in this category, ranging from those which provide background information to those which identify issues.
3. Editorials of tribute, appreciation or commendation. These groups of editorials praise a person or an activity.
4. Editorials of entertainment. These editorials have two categories. One is the short humorous treatment of a light topic. The second is a slightly satirical treatment of a serious subject. (Satire is the use of sarcasm or keen wit to denounce abuses or follies. While it ridicules or makes fun of a subject with the intent of improving it).

There are also some commonly known rules that the author of the editorial should always follow:

• change abstractions into living examples
• highlight emotional hooks - a warm positive tone is essential
• soften criticism;
• speak as the voice of the whole community
• tie the editorial to a news item or current issue of public concern
• show a local loyalties and interests relate to readers
• beware legal challenges over reputations
• avoid a preachy tone and rhetorical flourishes
• convert statistics into factions
• simplify grammar and vocabulary
• clarify the point of view before beginning; choose a Headline.
• simplify expressions.
• use the colon and semicolon to infer.
• always be grammatically correct.
• focus on three points only
• use only short (three sentence) paragraphs.
• use only short sentences
• avoid lists; avoid "First, second, ... " etc.
• avoid need to cross reference: not "as was said above."
• avoid dialogue.
• avoid "I, you, me" pronouns.

All editorials are evaluative, so they don't only appeal to the readers mind but to his feelings as well. But the degree of evaluation and emotionality can be different.

The evaluation in the editorial is often expressed implicitly. In order to show the point of view the author can choose quotations, which contain evaluative opinions, he can apply epithets, colloquialisms, verbs, which implicitly describe the subjects correlated with them. But sometimes the evaluation can be shown explicitly, though in very mild terms:

1. The ruling eviscerated the absurd notion on which the administration's arguments have been based: that congress authorized Mr.Bush to do whatever he think is necessary when it authorized the invasion of Afghanistan ( The NYT, August,18, 2006).
2. I t ' s a good news that this ruling exists at all (The NYT, August,18, 2006).
   According to A.D.Shveitser we can hardly find negative evaluation which characterizes a person, usually the negative evaluation concerns not a person, but his actions, deeds, assertions. More often in the editorials we can come across positive evaluation that describes people.
   All the editorials are emotionally coloured and contain a personal attitude to the matter. It is achieved with the help of emotionally coloured vocabulary, colloquial words and expressions, slang, professionalisms and stylistic devices, both lexical and grammatical. Practically any stylistic device can be found in editorial writing: metaphors, epithets, periphrases, simile, rhetorical questions, parallel constructions, various types of repetitions. "Editorials abound in trite stylistic means, but genuine stylistic devices are also used, which helps the writer of the editorial to bring his idea home to the reader through the associations that genuine imagery arouses"[12, p.306]:
3. Yet she dug in her heels after the incident came to light, insisting she had done nothing wrong( The NYT, August,17,2006)
   
4. The longer she hung on, trying to spin the story her way, the more she distracted attention from the continued challenge of fighting corruption to her own personal melodrama (The NYT, August, 17, 2006).

In his work A.D.Shveitser writes that in order to convey an ironical connotation the editorial reporters can use pun, paronymy, antithesis, allusion. And I.R.Galperin adds that historical, literary and biblical allusions are often used to create a satirical effect. A similar effect can be achieved by the use of metaphor, irony, the breaking- up of set expressions. Not only stylistic devices, but other expressive means help to create an ironical effect: slangisms can form ironical as well as contentious effect.

Though most editorials are emotionally coloured, the degree of colouring is different. According to V.L.Nayer the degree of emotionality depends a lot on a type of a newspaper. "The so called quality papers are distinguished by an apparently unassuming style, by a rather reserved and seemingly unbiased mode of expression, and predominantly implicit means of evaluation; editorial writers of quality papers make rather a sparing use of stylistic devices and other means of emotional appraisal, - the degree of emotionality in the quality press editorials ranges from zero to very moderate. [5, p.84] While in popular papers we can see an excessive use of different stylistic devices, various linguistic and technical means to express the author's attitude to the subject, emotionally coloured words, colloquial words, slang, so the evaluation carries out an explicit character.

The function of inducement is presented in the editorials, but as a rule it carries an implicit character. In his work A.D.Shveitser writes that inducement can appear in a form of a rhetorical question. But sometimes explicit forms are used in order to express inducement, and the most explicit way to express inducement in the editorials is the usage of modal verb must.

The informative function doesn't play an important role in this genre of newspaper writing. Very often it is tied to a news article or current issue of public concern, thus the editor shouldn't inform about the event, but simply remind of it. Very often in the editorials informative elements interweave with expressive and evaluative:

It took unconsciously long - almost a month - for the United States Security Council to produce a formula to end the fighting in Lebanon.

While the diplomats dithered, hundreds of Lebanese and Israelis died, and new layers of anger and fear were sown on both sides of the border (The NYT, August 12, 2006, The Editorial)

As for the structure of Editorial stories, they have, as a rule:

• Introduction, body, solution and conclusion like other news stories.
• An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues.
• A timely news angle.
• Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer addresses.
• Good editorials engage issues, not personalities and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of persuasion.
• Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. Anyone can gripe about a problem, but a good editorial should take a proactive approach to making the situation better by using constructive criticism and giving solutions.
• A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer's opinion.

The feature story

Also found in the newspaper are feature stories or articles intended to entertain and inform readers by taking a human-interest focus. Unlike the news article, there is more room for creative expression in feature articles because they are more concerned with mood and feeling. They are written as much to entertain as to inform.

A feature story emphasizes the people involved in an event rather than the facts of the news.

Feature articles usually begin with a delayed lead - an anecdotal or descriptive lead. Instead of the who-did-what-and-when of hard news, a feature often begins with one or two or three short paragraphs to set the scene. Then comes the real lead of the article. In a feature article, the part that does the job of the lead is usually called the nut paragraph. This nut paragraph must explain the opening anecdote and put it in a broader context. It tells the reader what the feature article is about. Feature articles also need a good ending. One of the effective endings is to conclude with a quote or anecdote that relates the story back to the main theme and leaves the reader thinking about the essence of the story. But the writer of the feature story should avoid preaching or lecturing at the end of the story. It is often hard to resist, but if the story is told well, the quotes and facts that a newswriter chooses will allow the reader to come to the same conclusion on their own.

As a rule five different kinds of feature stories are singled out:

News Feature:A news feature is based on a current news story. It often provides related background information. For example, suppose a new story announces the schedule of events for the Annual Fun Night. A news feature might highlight the difficulties the committee had in deciding which games and activities to offer.
• Informative Feature. An informative feature presents an interesting and appealing story not necessarily related to a timely news story. It is based on a news writer's interviews, observations, and reading. For example, suppose you were interested in architecture. You might research school architecture and develop an informative feature which proposes the ideal layout for a middle school or high school.
• Historical Feature. A historical feature is often the result of a timely news story. For example, suppose a news story reports on the track team's first conference championship in 25 years. A historical feature might review that championship track team of 25 years ago.
• Personality Story. A personality story presents a story about an individual who would be interesting or appealing to readers. For example, a day-in-the-life story of a local high-school freshman would be interesting to middle-school readers.
• Firsthand Account. A firsthand account develops from the writer's personal experiences. For example, a writer might re-create his or her experience in an accident or special event.

A.E.Makaryavichyus singles out four main functions of a feature article: to describe events, to analyse them, to make a conclusion and to provide recommendations concerning the given facts. [4] So the purpose is to make the reader follow the point of view of the writer. Thus the main functions of the feature article and the editorial are quite the same. But if we say that the informative function in the editorial doesn't play an important role, a feature story carries an abundant and detailed information about the subject in question and this function combines with the evaluative one. V.L.Nayer confirms that evaluation in this genre of newspaper writing is not always a predominant function. Not all the feature articles are highly evaluative. "They vary considerably as to the proportion of the informative and the evaluative, the expressive and neutral, the standard and the individual". [5,p.84] The feature article can be essentially neutral, exuberantly evaluative, purely informative but for all they are all feature articles, as they are sure to convey some particular features of this writing:

Apply one-sentence paragraphs,
• refer to definite times,
• use of clichés,
• place most essential information at the beginning.
• evoke an emotional reaction: joy, sympathy, anger, frustration, contentment, or some other emotion
• give depth and meaning to complicated issues or news items, thus clarifying and interpreting events
• follow the techniques of good creative writing [message or angle, dialogue, character, setting, showing rather than telling, imaginative language and imagery]
• begin with a strong lead
• avoid the pyramid structure of the news story
• follow an organization appropriate for the subject
• use an introduction (lead) that attracts the readers
• use a tone and style appropriate to its subject.

If feature article is mostly evaluative, evaluation is commonly conveyed by linguistic expressive means and stylistic devices: emotional vocabulary, language means of imagery and conventional rhetorical devices.

A.D. Shveitser shows that in the feature article more often than in the editorial we can find overtly negative evaluation as the writer gives estimation not only to actions and deeds, but to a person as well.

The function of inducement carries more explicit forms, very often the modal verbs should, must, ought are applied:

• So what can be done? The international community should take several steps… to address the current crisis.

First, priority must be given to ensuring Lebanon's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity…

Second, we must recall that Hezbollah came into existence as a consequence of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

… Rather than trying to isolate Hezbollah, we should be encouraging it to play a responsible role in the internal dynamics of Lebanon...
Finally, urgent and sustained attention must be focused on the problem that underlines the unrest in the Middle East: The Palestinian issue. ("Start Talking to Hezbollah", The NYT, August, 18. 2006)

Feature story contains many elements often found in other kinds of story writing: narrative character, dialogue, action, setting and even a dialogue:

• Q. How do you support the Lebanese resistance?

A. The Israeli regime has shown it has no concern for human rights and international law. It kills infants and pregnant women.

Q. How do you support the Lebanese resistance?

A. Americans have double standards. There is one for Israel and another one for the rest of the world. If it were not for America, Israel would never not for America, Israel would never dare to kill innocent Lebanese citizens with such impunity.

Q. How do you support the Lebanese resistance?

A. I just answered you. Q. No. You didn't. You just repeated the slogans I heard people were chanting in the Palestine Square demonstration yesterday morning and sat Friday prayers two days before that. How does Iran support Hezbollah? Financially? Militarily? Spiritually? How? ("Sweating Out the Truth in Iran", The NYT, August, 24, 2006)

One of the main differences between the editorial and the feature article is that the writer of the latter has more freedom than the writer of the editorial, if in the editorial the writer should follow the common style of the newspaper, in the feature article we can better feel the individual style of the writer. In contrast to the editorial the author of a feature article can even employ personal pronoun I:

I'm not sure yet who's the winner in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, but I know who's the big loser: Iran's taxpayers. What a bunch of sucker.( the feature article "War on Daddy's Dime" (The NYT, August,18, 2006)

Comparing the feature article with a news story we can say that feature articles are less time-sensitive than news articles, and may describe people, places, or events of general interest to the public. They also tend to be longer than news articles.

Thus, we have outlined dominant features of the news articles, the editorials and the feature articles. They can be presented in the following way:

- A news article informs readers about the most important events, reports information objectively without opinion, limits details to facts only, organizes those facts in descending importance, uses simple vocabulary structures and short, uncomplicated sentences.

- An editorial and a feature article are basically evaluative. However the author of an editorial cannot easily express his attitude to the matter, as he should always follow the policy of those who back or own the newspaper, while the writer of a feature story has more freedom and can possibly show his personal point of view. In other words, the editor is more limited in his writings than the author of a feature article who can use a great number of lingvostylistic means to express his opinion and to persuade the reader that his point of view is the only right one.