Media Executives Urged to Preserve Defunct Publication Archives
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When media outlets close down, their websites are often completely wiped, deleting valuable journalist work product and clips. This happened with Gawker, The Messenger, and now DCist.
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There are few legal reasons to delete archives. Concerns around liability or technical maintenance are overblown, especially for well-resourced owners.
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Maintaining an archived, static version of a website is inexpensive, costing only a few hundred dollars per month. Tools like Webrecorder can help.
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Deleting published journalism undercuts the work journalists did and makes their jobs harder when looking for new opportunities.
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Media executives and billionaires owners should preserve their publications' archives, rather than erase decades of work. The cost is negligible compared to executive pay.