Title: Editorial Journalism and Newspapers’ Editorial Opinions | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication
Headings: Editorial Journalism and Newspapers’ Editorial Opinions
Editorial Journalism and Newspapers’ Editorial Opinions
Summary
Keywords
Introducing Editorial Journalism
Editorial Journalism as a Distinct Genre and Practice
The History of Editorial Journalism
Newspapers’ Editorial Opinions and Partisanship
Editorials as Texts—Persuasive Style and Content
What Makes Editorial Journalism Unique?
Editorials and Other Forms of Opinion Journalism
The Significance of Editorial Journalism: Persuasive Power
Influence on Readers, Voters, and Public Opinion
Influence on Newspapers’ Internal News Agendas and Other Coverage
The Influence of Editorials on Other News Media, Political Elites, and Policymakers
Newspapers as Independent Political Actors
What Shapes Newspapers’ Editorial Positions?
Routines for Issue Selection, Deciding the Agenda, and the Line and Tone of Editorial Opinion
The Influence of Proprietors, Ownership, and Editors
Editorial Journalism and Diversity
Discussion of the Literature
References
Notes

Content: Theorizing newspapers as active and independent political actors in the political process further underpins the need to research editorial journalism. Third, editorial journalism has been overlooked by sociological studies of journalism practices. Research provides a limited understanding of the routines and practices of editorial journalists and the organization of editorial opinion at newspapers. Although rare, studies focusing on editorial journalism show that editorial opinion does not simply reflect the influence of proprietors, as has often been assumed. Rather, editorial opinions are shaped by a complex range of factors. Finally, existing research trajectories and current developments point to new challenges and opportunities for editorial journalism. These challenges relate to how professional norms respond to age-old questions about objectivity, bias, and partisanship in the digital age. Keywords
editorials
editorial journalism
leader writing
opinion
advocacy journalism
campaign journalism
newspapers as political actors
press partisanship
media effects
opinion leading
journalism studies
Introducing Editorial Journalism
The potential for newspapers’ editorial opinions to influence voters and politicians has driven debate and scholarship to coalesce around editorial opinion as the most tangible manifestation of the power of the press. Elections are very often followed by public debate about the power of newspapers to shape the outcome. Indeed, newspapers are not averse to claiming responsibility for influencing voters, as evidenced by the notorious British tabloid headline “It’s the Sun wot won it” the day after the unexpected election of a Conservative government in 1992.