Literary Journalism vs Conventional Journalism in the Coverage of the Syrian Conflict in the Periodicals The Guardian and The New Yorker

Carolina Correia; Rita Amorim; Raquel Baltazar; Isabel Soares

doi:10.24310/tsn.19.2025.17286

Authors

Carolina Correia ISCSP, ULisboa
Rita Amorim ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3119-4541 (unauthenticated)
Raquel Baltazar ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7010-3994 (unauthenticated)
Isabel Soares ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4077-5084 (unauthenticated)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/tsn.19.2025.17286

Keywords:

Literary Journalism, conventional journalism, The Guardian, The New Yorker, the Syrian conflict

Abstract

The role of journalism gains relevance in society as a vehicle of influence, capable of shaping the public agenda, and its tradition is based on the adoption of linguistic practices such as objectivity and narrative and linguistic simplicity, which fulfill the informative mission. Literary journalism emerges as an alternative to this 'rigidity' by asserting itself through the use of a narrative and complex language that shares characteristics with fiction. This article explores the differentiating aspects of literary journalism and conventional journalism in covering the Syrian conflict. The British periodicals The Guardian and the American The New Yorker, specialized in conventional journalism and literary journalism respectively, were selected. The corpus of analysis consists of three articles from each journal focusing on the temporal space between the appearance of the first Syrian protests and the formation of the first armed movement. The linguistic techniques used in both types of journalism are compared, exploring the different positions of journalists in the newsmaking process of covering the Syrian conflict. The role of the characters in the stories as narrative subjects in both genres is also investigated.

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Author Biographies

Carolina Correia, ISCSP, ULisboa

Licenciada en Ciencias de la Comunicación por el Instituto Superior de Ciencias Sociales y Políticas de la Universidad de Lisboa y actualmente estudiante de Maestría en Antropología Social y Cultural de la Universidad Católica de Lovaina. Sus áreas de investigación han abarcado los temas del periodismo literario, el activismo social y la subcultura urbana. Su principal interés es contribuir a la comprensión de las dinámicas de poder implícitas en el proceso de narración de historias a través de la lente de comunidades marginadas y contextos urbanos.
Rita Amorim, ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa

Doctora en Relaciones Internacionales del ISCSP-Universidad de Lisboa, donde es profesora asistente de Inglés para Ciencias Sociales. Investigadora integrada del CAPP (FCT-ISCSP) en el Grupo Sociedad, Comunicación y Cultura. Las áreas de investigación en las que ha publicado se centran en la didáctica del inglés, el cambio de código, los estudios culturales y lingüísticos en los espacios de habla inglesa y de la CPLP y, más recientemente, en el periodismo literario y la literatura de viajes, y los estudios transatlánticos.
Raquel Baltazar, ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa

Doctora en Literatura Portuguesa y profesora asistente en el Instituto Superior de Ciencias Sociales y Políticas de la Universidad de Lisboa, donde enseña Inglés para Ciencias Sociales y expresión oral y escrita. Es investigadora integrada y vicepresidenta del Centro de Administración y Políticas Públicas CAPP (FCT-ISCSP). Sus áreas de interés incluyen el periodismo literario, la literatura de viajes, los estudios culturales y lingüísticos y los estudios transatlánticos.
Isabel Soares, ISCSP, CAPP, ULisboa

Doctora en Estudios Anglo-Portugueses y profesora asociada en el Instituto Superior de Ciencias Sociales y Políticas de la Universidad de Lisboa, donde coordina la Facultad de Idiomas y Lenguas y actualmente es vicepresidenta responsable de Calidad y Misión de las Unidades. Participó en la fundación de la Asociación de Estudios de Periodismo Literario, que presidió entre 2016 y 2018. Es investigadora integrada del Centro de Administración y Políticas Públicas e investigadora del Centro de Estudios Africanos. Sus áreas de interés incluyen: periodismo literario, estudios lingüísticos y culturales e imperialismo.

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