Newspaper photo archives sold off

MontanaJay · Apr 17, 2015

http://www.minnpost.com/media/2015/...ho-bought-star-tribunes-vintage-photo-archive

As a retired newspaperman, I understand how desperate for cash most newspaper corporations are, but as the above story details, the future of those invaluable collections is in jeopardy worldwide.
I guess, like the debate over the longevity of digital images, there may be no answer.
In the meantime, the historical documentation of of times disappears....

snapguy · Apr 17, 2015

Great article

As a tired -- and retired -- Ink Stained Wretch myself I am distressed by the sale-off of photo archives. I remember when UPI (a world wide news wire service to those young whippersnappers who do not remember it) gave away its photo archives. But at least Bill Gates now owns the stuff. I use Windows every day and cannot attest that BG can do more than go to the Little Boys
Room by hisself --but, it didn't take a Rocket Scientist to figure out if the Internet was going to fly, old photo archives with classic images in them (including some Pullet Surprise winners) would be worth a mint. He's got the stuff in a salt mine in PA, temperature controlled, digitally copies and available, and safe. Let's hope some of the other archives come out okay.

blansky · Apr 17, 2015

It's as simple and as difficult as connecting the culture with the people with the money.

Years ago before republican/conservative governments austerity nonsense, the state had the money and the will for archiving culture. Now that's not usually the case.

Look at the money in Hollywood and for years their archives deteriorated to the point that many classic movies disappeared, until people like Spielberg and others began the massive restoration process to save them.

There just needs to be a public outcry, and awareness made about the loss of these archives, and connect the money with the cause.

Lets face it, people today are the most informed people in history, and also in most cases the most apathetic and unmotivated. Perhaps it's information overload.

R.Gould · Apr 17, 2015

It is sad and worrying to see newspaper archives sold off, Our local newspaper has recently given their whole archive library to our Jersey Heritage Trust, which, amongst other things, runs the Jersey Archive center, so the whole archive is preserved for the people of Jersey to use, for free, for all time

pbromaghin · Apr 17, 2015

He keeps the negs and you get digital files. Just like Walmart.

summicron1 · Apr 17, 2015

at least, according to that article, the images still exist. In the past, especially when the price of silver was up, some newspapers pulped their photo collections for the silver thereincontained.

Here in Ogden, the local university is one of four official state archives which is working very hard with the local paper to get its old photo and print clip archives donated. Even if the school hasn't got the staff to digitize them, donation makes sure they are preserved, which is the most critical point.

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 17, 2015

APUGuser19 said:
Hey Blansky--Do you ever make a photographic post on here?

Actually, 'blansky' makes some of the most insightful photographic posts on APUG.

Ken

pentaxuser · Apr 17, 2015

There are stories of people finding old newspaper negs in skips near the newspaper premises. It was simply part of the newspaper's "clear-up"

Now not all of these negs will represent important history but are in the widest sense of the word history. The problem is deciding what constitutes important history when we are still in the present day and newspapers are the worst people to be archivists. What sells papers is what is happening now. Old negs are yesterday's news and yesterday's news is only good for wrapping fish and chips.

pentaxuser

gone · Apr 17, 2015

I'm on the other side of this band wagon. It's time to move forward, and there's far too much time spent looking backwards. 99% of those "archives" are probably nothing more than snaps that no one wanted. If every printed word and image that were ever made disappeared overnight, we'd all be in a lot better shape for it. My goodness, the past is dead and gone, and the present hasn't arrived. Live in the here and now. That's my scheme, anyway. Wouldn't it be a treat to wake up every morning w/ a clean slate in front of you? See that world in front of you? It's called real life.

As for newspapers, they've been replaced. Change, or die. They weren't good for much besides lining the bottom of the parakeet cage and placing furniture ads in. Oh, I like them for paper mache, but those %$*#! printed words require a lot of gesso to blot out. But then I'm not "normal", fortunately. I'm also pro litter and anti recycling. Everything gets recycled anyway, sooner or later, and a brightly coloured Snickers wrapper can add color and gaiety to an otherwise dull, drab, and boring urban landscape.

bobwysiwyg · Apr 17, 2015

Momus, sorry, but I disagree.

Ken Nadvornick · Apr 17, 2015

Those who run away often do so not to keep others from knowing the what, they do so to keep others from knowing the why.

Ken

snapguy · Apr 17, 2015

oob

Newspapers are not going out of business. Some are, but lots are doing fine. Back before the Great Recession the average US company made a 7 percent profit on their investment. Newspapers made more like 14 percent, and some more like 22 percent. The news business ebbs and flows. There's a movement afoot to replace local newspapers on paper to on the Internet. Many will be more narrow interest than a local paper for instance about politics. I worked for 11 newspapers, one of them twice and for the world's largest newsgathering organization. Most papers that are failing is because of their own dumb-ass policies which is why two out of three of the "big three" US car makers waivered and crashed. Newspapers have a better record than that. There are small local newspapers that are cash cows but their shares are not on the stock market so nobody knows how well they are doing.
You wanna publish a successful newspaper today? Fill it with selfies. Today's "citizens" can't be bothered about anything but themselves. That's why people who try to take selfies with wild bears get eaten by the bears.

blansky · Apr 17, 2015

momus said:
I'm on the other side of this band wagon. It's time to move forward, and there's far too much time spent looking backwards. 99% of those "archives" are probably nothing more than snaps that no one wanted. If every printed word and image that were ever made disappeared overnight, we'd all be in a lot better shape for it. My goodness, the past is dead and gone, and the present hasn't arrived. Live in the here and now. That's my scheme, anyway. Wouldn't it be a treat to wake up every morning w/ a clean slate in front of you? See that world in front of you? It's called real life.
e.

I take it you're not a fan of the saying " those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them".

I kinda like the " if we don't know where we've been we can't know where we are going.

But daily Alzheimer's is an interesting concept.

MattKing · Apr 17, 2015

Historically, newspaper photo archives were organized in a way that made it easy to use them for newspaper publishing purposes, but awkward for other purposes.

I actually think that it is a good idea that they be acquired by an entity that is in the business of preserving and sharing the materials. As long as the public can continue to have access at reasonable cost.

M6F6E6 · Apr 18, 2015

Plenty of trash in amongst those newspaper images, no doubt, but no way they should be dumped en-masse. We need such documents to educate kids today, of how lucky they are, mostly, to be born with so many luxuries like running water and electricity. Imagine how deluded we would be if we never got to know how Htler and his Nzi mates were assisted by democracy and the Pope! Nowadays we know this info because the media archives have somehow survived and people then got to document some of this stuff and get it published.
We definitely need to remember the past to know how to deal with the future.

As for digital files being superior/easier to maintain, I remember an article by the guy who shot that famous photo of Monica Lewinsky hugging Clinton. He said that if that was one of his digital images it would've been deleted within days, but it was shot on film and sat in his files for years... until tha scandal broke. He remembered her face and the image was ressurected and made him a fortune!

Shame that billionaires get to control this info.

pentaxuser · Apr 18, 2015

bobwysiwyg said:
Momus, sorry, but I disagree.

Well yes but I cannot help feeling that we are taking his post too seriously and that the last paragraph was written to see how many of us would take him too seriously.

As long as it wasn't serious I am willing to subscribe to the fund needed for a surgeon to remove his tongue from remaining stuck to his cheek.

If he was serious then I withdraw my offer as a cure will be beyond my total wealth

pentaxuser

Newspaper photo archives sold off

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