Marwa Hassouna during her dissertation examining
Her research explores the impact of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation on newsroom workflows and audience behaviour, proposing strategies for media organisations navigating shrinking print circulation and accelerating technological change. The defence comes as newsrooms worldwide reassess how journalism can evolve amid rapid innovation and structural upheaval.
A doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Hassouna presented her dissertation—The Future of Print and Online Journalism in Light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—during a public session at the faculty’s conference hall. She opened with an overview of the study’s objectives and key findings and dedicated the work to the late Prof. Mahmoud Alam El-Din, the examination committee, and her parents.
The evaluation committee was chaired by Prof. Sherif Darwish El-Labban, professor of journalism at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University. Its members included Prof. Taha Abdel-Aaty Negm, Professor of Journalism at the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University, and Samah Abdel-Razek El-Shehawi, Assistant Professor of Journalism at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University. Each committee member provided detailed academic feedback aimed at strengthening the final manuscript.
Prof. Negm underscored the timeliness of the research, noting that print journalism continues to contract under pressure from technological shifts. El-Shehawi addressed several technical issues, requesting revisions to ensure the dissertation’s methodological rigour and academic completeness.
Prof. El-Labban highlighted the significance of the study in light of the global challenges confronting the media industry. He recalled that the dissertation was originally supervised by the late Prof. Mahmoud Alam El-Din, who passed away before completing his role, and said he had encouraged Hassouna to carry the research forward to its final form. He also pointed to mounting industry pressures—including economic constraints and declining press freedoms—but stressed that journalism “will not die,” noting that newspapers continue to be printed in countries across both East and West, including the United States, where many remain freely available in public spaces such as airports.
The defence was attended by senior academics, including Prof. Awatef Abdel-Rahman and Prof. Nagwa Kamel, as well as journalists, family members, and friends.
Following a 15-minute closed deliberation, Prof. El-Labban announced that the committee had approved the dissertation and awarded Hassouna a PhD with First-Class Honours. The committee also recommended a set of final revisions before depositing copies of the dissertation in the libraries of Cairo University, Ain Shams University, Alexandria University, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
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