COMPARATIVE STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF EDITORIALS IN TELL AND NEWSWATCH MAGAZINES OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative stylistic analysis of editorials from two prominent Nigerian newsmagazines, Tell and NewsWatch, published between 2010 and 2024. Employing a qualitative methodology grounded in the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework, the research investigates . It examinesprimary stylistic features, including lexical choices, syntactic structures, mood, modality, cohesion, and tone, differ across the two publications and discusses how these features are employed. Central research questions focus on identifying these stylistic characteristics, exploring their reflection of each magazine’s editorial philosophy, and evaluating their influence on shaping reader perspectives and public opinion. Findings reveal that NewsWatch adopts a measured, institutional style characterised by balanced modality and restrained metaphor, positioning its readership as rational, reflective evaluators within a deliberative democratic space. Conversely, tell employs heightened modality, vivid metaphor, and direct address to construct an urgent, mobilising discourse that engages readers as active participants in democratic accountability and reform. The study concludes that editorial stylistics function as dynamic tools for meaning-making and political performance, shaping ideological appeal, reader identity, and democratic engagement in Nigeria’s media landscape.