Archives in the News
Investigating the portrayal of archives in the New Zealand press, 2013–2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26686/arch.10540Keywords:
Archives, Archives in media, Information professions in the mediaAbstract
There is little analysis of press articles that report on archives, especially those from New Zealand, and archives are underrepresented in news media analysis in comparison to libraries and museums. The research outlined in this article describes the themes and topics present in written news articles, and the general sentiment of press coverage of archives. Research was undertaken in the form of a qualitative content analysis of press articles published by major New Zealand news organisations over a ten-year period. It found that portrayal of archives by the New Zealand press is generally positive, any negative sentiment tending to align with constructive critique rather than cynicism or promotion of stereotypes. Themes including digitisation, funding concerns, and access to collections are commonly presented by the press, which in turn may influence the perception of archives by the public.
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References
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