Blackwell Reference Online

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A commentary is a genre of journalism that provides interpretations and opinions on current events, rather than factual reporting (→  news ). Interpretations may include evaluating the motives behind actors’ behaviors, interpreting the wider scope and meaning of events, and assessing the ramifications and significance of facts. It also includes speculation, such as forecasting future events and foreseeing the behaviors of actors in the news. Opinions, on the other hand, mean promoting or advocating specific standpoints, ideals, or policies. Commentary has a principal function in the →  public sphere. As the free expression and exchange of ideas is necessary for the formation of public opinion, commentary is crucial for the democratic function of the media. Historically, commentary became an integral part of the press long before journalism as an institutional practice and profession was invented (Chalaby 1996). In fact, partisan reporting outdates the ideal of objective journalism by more than a century (→  Partisan Press ; Advocacy Journalism ). The evolution of objectivity as a journalistic ideal, and the neutral, descriptive style of journalistic expression are closely connected to the growth of professionalism and of journalism as an independent social force in the 1900s ( Schudson 1996 ; →  Professionalization of Journalism ). In the US this modernization process gradually ... log in or subscribe to read full text