Archives in the news: portrayal of archives in the New Zealand press

Abstract

Research Problem. There is little recent analysis of press articles specifically focusing on archives, especially those in New Zealand, and archives are underrepresented in news media analysis in comparison to libraries and museums. There is a need to identify the themes, topics, and coverage of archival institutions in written news articles, and the general sentiment of press coverage. Methodology. Research was undertaken in the form of a qualitative content analysis of press articles published in New Zealand over the past ten years, which were chosen to be representative of media communications around archives. Articles were coded based on the themes present in the text, and the overall sentiment of each article. Results. Portrayal of archives by the New Zealand press is generally positive, and any negative sentiment tends to align with constructive critique, rather than cynicism or promotion of stereotypes. Topical 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. Implications. Archives can benefit from a relatively free and trusted press, using the press to promote their activities to a wide audience, but must balance this with the press holding them to account for their management of resources, and provision of access to the public. The press is influential on public perception and effective press coverage of archives could lead to higher levels of engagement with their users and the wider community.