The article examines the interaction of two journalistic strategies - neutrality and sensationalism, the linguistic methods of their formation and the pragmatic goals of their use in media discourse. To realize the effect of the impact, not only expressive, but also neutral language means are used. In this case, the statement has manipulative capabilities, giving the addressee the impression of objectivity. The research was carried out on the material of electronic versions of newspapers characterized by a special features of production and consumption of news information.