In an era when “fake news” is a bit of a buzzword, a new exhibition aims to shed some light on local newspaper history.
The New Westminster Museum and Archives’ latest exhibition, Getting the Word Out, brings together the social media era and New West’s earliest newspapers.
“The digital age has changed how people consume news. How do we begin to tease out fact from opinion or information from disinformation?” said a press release from the museum. “Fear and emotion can influence how we respond to, share and perpetuate the stories we are exposed to. However, thoughtful consideration and critical thinking also contribute to what we choose to do with what we read.”
According to the museum, New Westminster became a major centre of printing, from the first cumbersome printing press dragged over the stumps and hills of the budding city. At times in its history, New Westminster has been home to multiple newspapers vying for readers.
“The Getting the Word Out exhibition tells these stories in the prism of today’s concerns,” said the press release. “Along (with) the printing industry’s tools of the trade on display, there will be some of the subjects of past ‘fake news’ too: patent medicine from the 19th and early 20th century. Why medicine? Often patent medicine ads were disguised as newspaper articles. Or the ads used fake testimonials from non-existent doctors. The exhibition pairs up antique medicine bottles with their newspaper ads so visitors can see for themselves how our ancestors were manipulated.”
Getting the Word Out, located in the museum on the third floor of the Anvil Centre, runs to April 28, 2019.
“While we think of social media today being a sort of Wild West, our news feeds filled with disinformation, this is not a new thing,” museum curator Oana Capota said in a press release. “We have many examples of headlines that manipulated people’s emotions in the past. Articles were often biased, with little regard for impartiality.”
A series of programs is being planned to enhance the Getting the Word Out exhibition, including Protest & Propaganda, a printmaking workshop combining history and examples from the museum collection to inspire the creation of a New Westminster propaganda poster, and Read All About It, a presentation by the city archivist about the archives’ newspaper collection ranging from the 1870s up to the modern era.
For details on the exhibition and related programming, visit nwmuseumarchives.ca. The New Westminster Museum, located in Anvil Centre at 777 Columbia St., is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with extended hours on Thursdays to 8 p.m.) and admission is by donation.
