In a nutshell: An editorial is a newspaper's official opinion — an unsigned argument, in a confident ‘we’ voice, that takes a clear stance and usually pushes for change.
Most of a paper reports the news. One column judges it.
📝 “This paper has stayed quiet for long enough. The potholes on our streets are not an inconvenience — they are a disgrace, and the council knows it.”
That's an editorial: no byline, speaking for the whole paper, taking a side and telling you what should happen. Analyse how it argues.
What to look for
A clear stance
It picks a side early and stays there — no ‘on the other hand’ wavering.
The ‘we’ / institutional voice
It speaks for the whole paper, which sounds authoritative and shared.
Rhetorical devices
Loaded words, contrast, rhetorical questions and lists drive the argument.
A call to action or judgement
It ends by demanding change or delivering a verdict.
The key move: Ask ‘what is its line, and how does it push me to agree?’ An editorial is built to persuade — track the loaded words and the confident voice that carry its stance.
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Why it matters in the exam: Editorials appear in Paper 1. Examiners reward you for analysing the persuasive techniques — the confident ‘we’, loaded language, rhetorical questions — and how they build the paper's argument.
Analyse this editorial line: “We are told there is no money for libraries. Strange, then, how quickly it appears for a new car park.”
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't mistake an editorial for a neutral news report. It has a stance — your job is to analyse how it argues that stance, not to summarise the issue.