Editorials’ genre and media roles: Le Monde's editorials from 1999 to 2001

As part of a larger project on media identities and roles, this paper presents a methodological framework for the investigation of editorials’ genre(s), “genre” being primarily defined in terms of the purpose of the text type. The methodological framework follows the first steps of Askehave and Swales’ “text-driven procedure for genre analysis” (2001) and combines different types of analysis: complex speech acts representing the general line of argumentation, delimitation of the public spheres through the definition of the directives’ addressees, positive and negative attitude values, and types of professional roles in which editorialists present themselves. The application of this framework to a corpus of Le Monde's editorials uncovered how the general structure of the editorials serves their stated purpose and more. Indeed, it revealed the concept Le Monde has of its role in the national, European, and international public spheres. It showed very clearly that Le Monde as a media is not only a place where some public sphere's interactions can take place, but also that it is a full participant in various public spheres with its own values and positions. The application of the proposed framework unveiled fragments of Le Monde's identity, but for a fuller description of its role(s), an enrichment of the framework is needed.