al-Madkhal fi Fann al-Tahrir al-Sahafi
- Author died
- 1390 AH
- Editions
- General Egyptian Book Organization
al-Madkhal fi Fann al-Tahrir al-Sahafi (Introduction to the Art of Journalistic Editing) is a foundational treatise on the principles and genres of journalistic writing by the Egyptian scholar Abd al-Latif Mahmud Hamza (d. 1390 AH / 1970 CE) .
Background and Purpose
Completed in Heliopolis in November 1956, the work was written as part of an academic initiative by the Department of Editing, Translation, and Journalism at the Faculty of Arts to produce specialized textbooks covering the three core disciplines of journalism: editing (al-tahrir), page layout and production (al-ikhraj), and newspaper management (idarat al-sahifah) . Hamza designed the book as the first scholarly systematization of the art of journalism in Egypt and the Arab world, seeking to bridge modern media practice with Arabic prose traditions .
Structure and Content
The book is organized into an introduction, four major divisions termed "books" (kutub), and a concluding section :
- Book One: Public Opinion (al-Ra'y al-'Amm): Defines public opinion, distinguishes it from general dissatisfaction (al-sukht al-'amm) and general trend (al-ittijah al-'amm), and examines the role of the press in shaping public opinion, censorship, law, and the historical emergence of public opinion in Egypt .
- Book Two: The Art of News (Fann al-Khabar): Explores the nature, acquisition, and evaluation of news, news-publishing doctrines, and technical templates for drafting news stories, including the six cardinal questions and narrative structures . It also analyzes domestic and foreign news, headline formulation, journalistic language, news-related anecdotes, crime reporting ethics, and libel suits .
- Book Three: The Art of the Article (Fann al-Maqal): Classifies essays into literary, scientific, and journalistic articles . It covers editorial columns, confessional pieces, cartoon articles, reflective essays, leading articles (editorials), human-interest features, press campaigns, and journalistic stratagems employed during crises and strict censorship .
- Book Four: The Art of Reporting and Magazine Editing (Fann al-Taqrir wa-Tahrir al-Majallah): Treats magazine production, freelance writing, press archives, short stories in periodicals, journalistic interviews, investigations (al-tahqiq al-sahafi), and reports on parliamentary, judicial, diplomatic, and international proceedings (al-majariyat), alongside image and advertisement drafting .
The conclusion surveys the developmental stages and future of journalistic editing in Egypt, the impact of technological inventions on news reporting, and the profile of the ideal editor .
Method and Sources
Hamza utilized an inductive method derived from literary criticism and rhetoric to formulate rules for journalistic writing, treating journalistic prose as a distinct "third craft" alongside classical Arabic poetry and prose . In compiling the study, he drew upon classical and contemporary Arabic literary works, Egyptian periodicals, unpublished university lectures by Mahmoud Azmi, and an extensive selection of Western journalism literature, including works by Willard Bleyer, Frank Luther Mott, Frank Fraser Bond, Robert W. Desmond, and F. J. Mansfield .
Reception and Editions
First published in Cairo by Dar al-Fikr al-Arabi, the book became the standard reference work (al-kitab al-'umdah) for media studies across Arab universities and established "the art of journalistic editing" (fann al-tahrir al-sahafi) as a standard technical term in Arabic journalism scholarship . It was later reissued in an edition published by the General Egyptian Book Organization, introduced by Dr. Abd al-Aziz Sharaf .
Answer updated