الصحافة والرأي العام .. كتاب معلم الصحافة والإنشاء

Press and public opinion

The main elements of a newspaper’s success:

Professor Albaj defined public opinion by saying: “It is the result of the interaction of ideas in any situation in the group from which these ideas emerge.” The success of the newspaper in creating this good child and pushing it on the path of life must be sincere in caring for it and raising it diligently and wisely through what it promotes. It has conversations, news, and directives that it broadcasts in every way, and it has the power of control of suggestion and repetition, more than it has other means of broadcasting and directing, such as radio, school, cinema, and theater, as history has proven that in many incidents. For journalism to achieve this, it must create harmony between three elements:

1 - Material: It appears in paper and what is related to it in terms of size, shape, number of pages, printing, aspects of its mastery and decoration, ink and its color, the apparent cover and its charm, and in every means of seduction and charm. It also appears in the organization of distribution and advertising, because the stronger the newspaper’s position in the market and the greater the number of its readers, the more advertisements there will be in it, which is the largest financial support. It has been noted that the small size of the newspaper is something that is desired by most readers, because it makes it easier for them, especially when carrying it on two tablets to read it in crowded places, such as a train or a car. Pictures are also important on these occasions because one picture. With a brief comment on it, it may suffice to read a long article. The general public in this era prefers short topics that take up little of their time over long articles that require lazy leisure and patience to continue reading.

2 - Artistic: This is evident in the newspaper’s activity and its interest in research, criticism, and erudition, conveying important news and publishing innovative opinions in a polished manner, with the layout of the pages and mastery of tabulation and presenting the greatest audience of events and highlighting them as news or articles, or pictures, drawings or advertisements.

3 - Psychological: It is represented by the idea on which the journalist relies when he publishes his newspaper, and his sense of his lofty mission, which is to refine public opinion and call him to every beneficial good that improves his condition and satisfies it. He must not make statements based on his defects and prophesy or publish without relying on facts or a particular sect just because of emotion and influence, thereby losing the other side. He must always be wise and rational and work to gain the trust of readers.

All of these elements work in concert in the newspaper in order to satisfy the public, which constitutes public opinion, and to gain its trust, to cooperate with it in the pride of the nation, serving future generations, and performing the humanitarian mission, so that it can maintain its financial balance, and withstand the influence of the Sultan. There is no doubt that the psychological element is the most offensive of the three elements. With feelings and hearts because it represents the moral purpose of the profession, which we called the message of journalism and the journalist.

(Public opinion) is an absolute word that includes the one who listens to the public, the one who reads from it, and the one who follows. Which of them does journalism mean? There is no dispute that it concerns everyone. However, its connection with the public opinion of the reader almost overpowers its concern for the other two types, and this is only because it is the middle element that feels the desire to complete its information on the one hand, and the eagerness to know how things are going around it on the other hand. While we see that the intelligent people in the public are few, and they influence the newspapers more than they influence them, and the driven element, even if it includes the overwhelming majority, takes the truth of this description due to the weakness of its culture and awareness. It always gains influence from others and is always a follower led.