ABSTRACT

This chapter considers the past, present, and future of journalism and memory in two senses: first, as time periods in the evolution of the area of research and, second, as thematic elements in the scholarship on journalism and memory. It argues that the need to broaden and fine-tune investigations of journalism and memory in ways that take into account the full range of news temporalities and journalistic forms, systematically compare journalists’ memory work across different journalistic cultures. The chapter discusses the interactions between journalists and other social actors in the construction of collective memories. While direct engagement with the past is an important part of journalists’ memory work, in most cases, manifestations of collective memory appear as part of the coverage of current affairs. The chapter presents key themes and strands in the study of journalism and memory, which has established itself in decades as central for understanding both journalistic practices and collective memory.