الخطب والمناقشات .. كتاب معلم الصحافة والإنشاء

Speeches and discussions:

Before the invention of radio, newspapers were the only means of transmission. Public speeches, statements, debates, intelligence, talks, sermons, and discussions. Now that he has carried out this mission, newspapers still have a place beside him in terms of summarizing these topics and focusing them for readers. Therefore, every radio broadcast of this kind is considered inexhaustible material for journalism, and editors rely on it a lot because it has come to play an important role in the lives of people and in other places. The abundance of newspapers has reached such an extent that they choose only the most appropriate ones, and leave the rest entirely or simply point out them. The first thing the informant does in these areas is to verify the speaker’s full name, position, and qualifications, as well as the personalities of the meeting chair and his supervisors. The purpose of the meeting and the number and type of attendees must be known. He also strives to have a special conversation at the end of his lecture or sermon, asking him to clarify some points that were vague during his speech. He may be asked for information or statistics that help readers get a clearer idea about the topic. The informant often obtains a copy of the sermon in advance, and his task is then to listen to the minutes and write down some notes in the margin. This version is not sufficient, as an unexpected surprise may occur, such as changing the date of the recitation or leaving. In, or other things that may be more important than the speech itself, and it does not dispense with presenting the situation of the listeners and describing the impact of the speech on their souls. But if he does not obtain it, he will be forced to write down the speech quickly while delivering it. In that case, he will not be able to write down everything and may miss important paragraphs. In that case, it may be better for him to listen carefully and write down only what he deems important. Even if the matter ends, he quickly writes a comprehensive summary of what is in his memory, using the notes he took. This is better than shorthand, which makes the informant pay attention to the minute details without the important points.

As for parliamentary discussions, full attention should be paid to the basic topic of discussion, especially with regard to prominent speakers, by presenting how each of them enters into the topic, the method of persuasion, and the opinion he defends and presents his arguments and proofs to prove. Then, in his report, he follows the order in which the session took place, without forgetting the general atmosphere that surrounded it. He met with the members who would speak before the session in order to learn in advance their opinions and intentions. He must postpone writing long statements and speeches until the end of the report he is writing. If he arrives at describing the end of the session, he pays special attention to that, and explains how the members reached their decisions, then reviews these decisions in detail. In this case, he can rely on the Parliament's transcript, if possible, and add some footnotes to it, divide it into paragraphs, and give it titles so that when reading it he will prevent the readers from getting bored and fed up. In such reports, representatives of different newspapers usually cooperate in performing this task and share the work time, and considering that each of them uses carbon paper, his other colleagues have a sufficient number of what he copied in his turn of this meeting.

As for diplomatic conferences, since they are often held in secret, journalists are only able to attend them during the opening sessions that contain the agenda and deliver welcoming speeches. The conference then proceeds with its sessions. Newspapers are not allowed to attend except in special cases, and for this reason it is difficult for journalists to obtain reports of these sessions. Even if he obtained it, it would not benefit him much, because it is in the technical manner in which newspapers deal with these political conferences, not in the historical aspect. Therefore, it is the habit of newspapers to write about it very briefly at first, so that when the last session takes place, they exert their efforts to obtain the joint decisions that will be issued in a statement. In it, they express their opinions, trends, and what they agreed upon and what they did not agree upon. Before writing his report, the journalist must study his topic well, and then make sure to attend the sessions if he is able to do so. If he is not able, he should come close to the meeting place, contact whomever he can from those gathered, and extract some news from them. And so. He collects information about... Through conversations, decisions, and statements about the subject of the report he wants to write. If this happened to him, he would start writing, seeking help from the newspaper archive if he found anything useful in it. Taking into account that its writing is in a format close to the news story, by having a chest, body, and core, while giving the details their due care. As for the official decisions and statements, he presents them as they come, because they are official documents that he refers to when necessary, and he can publish them independently of the report and in a place adjacent to it.

There are many considerations that determine the importance of any speech or lecture. The first is the personality of the speaker and his social standing, then the extent of his expertise in the subject, then the occasion and circumstances in which the speech was delivered, then the impact it leaves on the hearts of the listeners, then novelty because some politicians in particular repeat speeches they have said before in other places. The most accurate criterion for judging the importance of a speech is the listener himself. The effect that the speech leaves on the soul of the informant when he hears it is the same effect that it leaves on the soul of the newspaper reader when he reads it. The amount of this effect determines its importance. The emotion of the listening audience helps the journalist to confirm his judgement.

The lucky journalist is the one who encounters a preacher or lecturer who seizes the feelings of his listeners with strong expressions, scathing comments, and important points that can be made into introductions or placed in a context with the topic to confirm its importance, highlight it, and beautify the presentation of the topic. As he begins to formulate the introduction, he may state the most important points that the lecturer aims for, because the name of the preacher, the title of the sermon, or its place cannot be the opening of the introduction. If the introduction was made for him, the rest of the sermon would be worded as follows: “Summary - quoted phrase - summary - quoted phrase - etc.).