When the past seeps into the present: The role of press agencies in circulating new historical narratives and restructuring collective memory during and after the Holocaust transitional justice

Abstract

This article examines the role of national and international journalism practices during and after the Holocaust transitional justice process, based on a comparative study of press agency coverage of Switzerland’s neutrality during World War II investigated from the mid-1990s. By studying the transitional justice process (1995–2002), and the 11 years following it (2002–2013), one can observe the media’s capacity to create a dedicated domain where previously written historical narratives may be discussed and re-aligned with the updated historical data. What emerges from this analysis is threefold. On one hand, the polarization of the coverage, as well as resistance from the national Swiss press agency and Swiss society to adopt an updated narrative concerning its role during World War II, is identified. On the other hand, the failure of local newswire services to provide a domain where public debate could take place at the end of the transitional justice process is exposed. Finally, the consequences of a monopoly on the national news while reporting on civil initiatives towards unofficial reconciliation and adaptation of the narrative, after the completion of the transitional justice process, are identified and questioned.