First Take: In narrative, it refers to the moments when the journalist seems to speak directly to the reader.

Deeper: In grammar, direct address an instance of speaking or writing that is directed specifically at a known person, often named (as in “Peter, fetch the ambassador.”) And therefore, there are some interesting ancillary effects when applied to writing. First, direct address sometimes can seem to readers like a “voice” from the author rather than “narration” in the usual sense. Moreover, it often breaks the so-called “fourth wall” illusion that we are actually in the presence of the event being reported (contrast the entry on Archimedean). But again, the device often personalizes the narrator–that is, makes the journalist into a physical human being–and in some cases, works to create an aura of informality as well.  In other words, in this device the writer acknowledges (a) the presence of the reader and thus, implicitly (b) that a story is being told to that reader by the narrative journalist.  In drama, this device is sometimes called an “aside,” especially when it is informal but instances of direct address can sometimes be anything but brief.