In this paper we present a theoretical interpretation of linguistic, cultural, and pragmatic aspects of using humorous effect in newspaper articles as a means of influencing and forming public opinion on political matters. The research material comprises the headlines of contemporary British and American, French, and Russian electronic newspaper articles. We present a model which can be used as a basis of interpreting the diverse means of forming public opinion via humorous effect in journalistic discourse in different languages and cultures. We demonstrate that the choice of specific humorous language means and stylistic devices used in newspapers in different languages to influence public opinion depends on the history of journalism, the ...