الخبر السياسي .. كتاب معلم الصحافة والإنشاء

Political news:

Every newspaper has a specific policy and direction that determines the way in which the news is presented to readers. It always seeks to “inoculate” topics that deal with public issues, which appear in the news columns, with its opinions. Some of these topics are displayed on the front page, and some are neglected because they are not consistent with the newspaper’s policy. There are other topics that are rewritten in order to make the political aspect clearer. Most major newspapers call for a certain opinion on public internal and external problems, and publish the general rules of their policy on the editorial page. In addition to this, it carries out campaigns that may take days or weeks to call for some reform aspects, such as solving the housing crisis, purging the government apparatus of saboteurs, or reducing the import of luxuries from foreign countries. However, it should be noted that this special policy should not affect the essence and truth of the news, and its presentation should be followed with accuracy, honesty, and impartiality, and that is the first mission of journalism. Therefore, respectable newspapers do not alter the facts in a way that is consistent with their goals, but they highlight specific news to confirm their policy, and this is a legitimate thing. As for altering the story, it is a departure from the principles of journalism, unanimously agreed upon by all journalists.

This is why we notice that when a group of newspapers deal with one piece of news, it does not deviate from the truth in its presentation, but the wording of each of them differs from the others in line with its own policy.

Five people cooperate to present the newspaper's policy on the news page, the first of whom is the managing editor who orders the writing of the topic, then the editor who conveys this matter, then the informant who obtains the required information, including the political aspect that the newspaper calls for, then the reviewer who deletes from the topic or adds to it, then He settles in front of the city affairs editor, who changes it, advances and delays it as he pleases, and may write it again. Each of these people knows the publisher’s point of view, and always works to confirm and highlight it, avoiding expressing his personal opinion. After he had thoroughly familiarized himself with this aspect by reading the editorials, especially those dealing with politics and government, he noticed how political topics were often modified by deletion, addition, and change, and why one topic appeared on the front page and another topic on the inside pages, according to the newspaper’s principles. After that, he can evaluate the information that supports this desired direction without neglecting the facts that support the opponents’ point of view.