Collective Memory in Journalism and Media
Summary
Collective memory in journalism and media refers to the processes by which news organisations and cultural outlets construct, transmit and contest shared understandings of past events. Through strategies such as commemorative reporting, anniversary features and archival retrieval, journalists not only reflect on history but actively shape public perceptions of national traumas, political milestones and social movements. In digital environments, algorithmic curation, social‐media sharing and interactive storytelling extend the reach of memory-making beyond traditional gatekeepers, enabling both professional and citizen media actors to participate in a global dialogue about the past. This dynamic interplay between retrospection, narrative framing and emerging technologies underscores the vital role of the news media in anchoring collective identities, fostering civic solidarity and negotiating the boundaries between remembering and forgetting.
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Collective Memory in Journalism and Media publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in collective memory in journalism and media across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Collective memory: The shared pool of narratives, images and meanings through which a community relates to its past.
Mediatization: The process by which media logics and technologies reshape the production and reception of cultural and social practices.
Predictive agency: The capacity of journalists and experts to generate and disseminate anticipatory knowledge about future events within a media ecosystem.
Cosmopolitan memory: Transnational forms of collective remembrance that emerge across global digital networks and social media platforms.
References
- An Ecosystem of Collective Futures: How Journalists and Experts Co-Construct Projections in Hybrid Media Environments. Digital Journalism (2024).
- Storying Climatically Changed Worlds — Potentials and Pitfalls of Future Journalism. Journalism Practice (2024).
- George Floyd and cosmopolitan memory formation in online networks: A report from Northern Europe. Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación (2022).
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