Exhibition of Arab and international press from print to digital
Under the patronage of Professor Dr. Kadhim Aboud Al-Majidi, and under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Arts, Professor Dr. Nahida Hussein Ali, the President of Ashur University inaugurated an exhibition entitled:
Exhibition: Arab and International Journalism: From Print to Digital
The exhibition's concept: to introduce visitors to the origins and development of local, Arab, and international journalism, and its transformation from its traditional print form to the modern digital format.
- Print journalism was the oldest form of mass media and played a pivotal role in shaping public awareness and documenting events.
- The first newspapers appeared in China in the early 10th century AD, while in Europe, the first newspapers appeared in Germany in the 17th century AD. They developed and flourished with the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of daily newspapers. In the Arab world, the first newspapers appeared in Egypt in 1798, and in Iraq in 1816, a newspaper called "Journal of Iraq" was established, although no physical trace of it has been found. The true foundation of journalism in Iraq is considered to be 1869 with the establishment of the newspaper "Al-Zawraa." Iraqi Radio was established in 1936, and Iraqi Television in 1956.
The last decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century witnessed the greatest transformation in the form and spread of television screens, from the box-like, black-and-white format to the standard color screen, and then the color (plasma) screen, due to the technological revolution, especially with the advent of the internet.
The early beginnings of online journalism were in the early 1990s, with the creation of websites for some newspapers. The first newspaper to establish an online presence was the American newspaper "The News & Observer" in 1994.
At the beginning of the third millennium, a stage of media development and interaction, electronic newspapers began to develop their own digital characteristics, distinguished by speed, immediacy, and interactivity, in addition to multimedia such as images, videos, and infographics. - Digital journalism, including citizen journalism and social media, has thus become the primary source of news and reports for a wide segment of the public. This has led to a decline in the circulation of print newspapers, with some even closing or transitioning entirely to digital versions.
- Consequently, the media shift from print to digital journalism represents a qualitative leap in the history of media in general. While print journalism is characterized by credibility, documentation, and depth, digital journalism surpasses it in speed, interactivity, and ease of access.
- The challenge today lies in finding an integrated formula that balances the speed of the digital age with the depth and credibility of traditional journalism to ensure the media's continued role as a reliable source.
