Archives and Museums

Colin Philpott

Across the world, a vast number of museums and archives hold material relevant to journalism. There are two distinct categories of this material: news media content and the means of producing that content. The first includes newspapers, news-reels, radio recordings, television news footage, photographs, and, most recently, websites. And the second includes objects representing the technology involved in producing and delivering journalism, such as printing presses, cameras, radio and television sets, and computers. The importance of collecting, preserving and interpreting both categories for the benefit of present and future generations cannot be overstated. It may be hyperbole to describe journalism as “the first draft of history.” Nevertheless, much of what journalists produce—whether print, film, or electronic—does constitute an important record of events, trends, and opinions and is therefore an invaluable resource for students of many disciplines. Moreover, everyone recognizes the pervasive influence—whether it be positive or negative—which the news media ...

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