Active participation within written argumentation: metadiscourse and editorialist's authority

Abstract

Abstract This paper aims to demonstrate how the elite newspaper, Le Monde , constructs active participation within its editorials’ argumentation to establish its authority. This active participation is revealed through the analysis of three metadiscursive categories, evidentials, person markers and relational markers, in connection with the editorials’ argumentative structure. It appears that Le Monde 's editorialists present themselves as responsible and competent journalists, as representatives of public opinion, and as independent and committed intellectuals in the French tradition. These strategies attest to Le Monde 's persuasive abilities in playing one part of its audience (public opinion) against the other (ruling elite), or appealing to them together on a matter of foreign policy. In conclusion, the role of context in the use of evidentials, person markers and relational markers in editorials is underlined; the question of a theoretical framework for media audience is raised; and the role of world guardian of “Truth, Justice, Reason and Universality” that is apparent in Le Monde 's polyphonic discourse is critically questioned.