When the facts don't speak for themselves: A study of the use of irony in daily journalism

A comparison of three news stories illustrates how journalists can use irony to undercut and even reverse the literal or ostensible meaning of what is being reported. As a rhetorical device aimed at establishing the conditions for competing interpretations of a text, irony enables journalists to report “the facts” accurately and impartially while at the same time letting it be known—albeit quietly—that the facts do not “speak for themselves.” But by issuing its judgment quietly and discreetly, irony renders morality a strictly private matter, which is disconcerting and arguably dysfunctional in a society where the role of the press is generally understood in terms of fostering public debate and discussion.