المحاكم .. كتاب معلم الصحافة والإنشاء

Courts:

There are three authorities in the state: executive, legislative, and judicial, and the latter is the one that deals most directly with the people and addresses the various problems among its individuals. In the courts, grievances are filed, where justice is established among people and rights are restored to their owners. Newspapers are obligated to report all decisions issued that concern people, so that they can learn about how the law is implemented in their country. Anyone who goes to court finds all the elements of the news unfolding before him: conflict, drama, novelty, prominence, and sex. He also finds all the news he craves for, such as criminal cases that arouse the emotions of all people, including issues of wills, inheritances, and the like. Therefore, it always attracts members of the press, who move every day from one office to another, talking to judges, lawyers, and employees, and from time to time reviewing whatever documents, references, and files they come across, so that when one of them catches an important case, he sits at his desk to write down his notes while his mind does not lose sight of it. Beware of being exposed to the law of defamation - if he insults the court or the judge with his comments - using all the legal experience he has acquired through personal study and experience. If hunting is an exciting criminal case, follow it from the beginning and then accompany it in the form of a continuous story, describing at length the atmosphere and circumstances of the session and the psychological state of the plaintiff, the defendant, and their witnesses, and to convey all the discussions taking place in it in quick, easy terms that do not hinder the narration of the topic. Even if the trial reached the witness stage, he began presenting his readers with the salient points that might direct the case in a new direction. All the awkward moments and delicious humor. Then he must present a summary of the witnesses’ statements in the courtroom, and convey the important phrases from them verbatim as they occurred during the discussion, even if this forces him to refer to the court record to complete what he missed during the hearing. Taking into account accuracy, impartiality, and good reconciliation between two conflicting matters: the reader’s desire to know the precise details, and the newspaper’s necessity to be content with the narrow space specified for the topic unless the issue deserves more than this specification.

Perhaps the most embarrassing circumstance that an informant goes through is when a criminal case approaches its end, and in successive stages, the accusation and defense say their final word, the judge announces his instructions, the jury withdraws to deliberate, they issue their decision, and the accused decides to appeal or request a new trial, and the decision is issued on this request. These stages serve as material either for separate stories and the way they are formulated is standard, or for a complex story with an introduction that contains the latest developments: from the jury’s decision, the court’s ruling, a description of the impact of the ruling on the accused, and the closing scene in the story, then detailing these developments. Then, the incidents that preceded this stage were presented in order of their importance: the jury’s deliberations, the judge’s instructions, the final statements of the defense and the accusation, then a summary of the case if there is room, and the topic concludes after all of this by mentioning the possible developments tomorrow or in a few days. These stages may follow very quickly to the point that they are treated in the form of the current story, and the topic is sent to the newspaper first and foremost, and new introductions, additions, and additions are written for it.