Understanding the Practices of Cultural Heritage Reporters

Abstract

This qualitative study aimed to understand the process and provide a contextual explanation of cultural heritage reporting by contextualizing and exploring several journalists' practices. Using these practices as objects of study, the article concluded that from the perspective of cultural heritage reporters, such reporting promotes information dissemination, educational impact, awareness about culture, and public motivation in cultural heritage preservation, since media promote the emergence, preservation, and reproduction of culture. As information, cultural heritage reporting provides relevant, factual, and authoritative information about cultural heritage, including information about diverse cultures and their importance to society. Meanwhile, as education, cultural heritage reporting provides historical and scientific information that the public needs to know to better appreciate cultural heritage. Also, this type of reporting raises awareness because it promotes the importance of cultural heritage and urges the public to participate in preservation efforts. Lastly, this reporting also motivates the public to participate in activities using their own capacities to preserve cultural heritage. With these analyses in mind, cultural heritage reporting leads to the preservation of cultural heritage. Through this practice, the people are informed, educated, aware of the need for preservation efforts, and motivated to fulfill their role in cultural heritage preservation.