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First Edition Archive

General Description (ISAD)

  1. Location Identity
    1. Reference Code: Cardiff University (Bute Resource Centre, Information Services)
    2. Title: First Edition Archive
    3. Date of Creation: January 1998 – December 2003
    4. Level of Descriptions: Item Descriptions
    5. Extent: 18 videos, 48 newspaper cuttings, 906 television script related items, 754 children’s letters, 35 internet web page print-offs, 8 audio recordings.
  2. Context
    1. Creator Name: The Archive was collected by Lea Sellers and Madeline Wiltshire of Libra Television, Manchester &ITN, London.
    2. Administrative History: Madeline Wiltshire & Lea Sellers were producers of First Edition, produced by Libra Television. The archive was collected over the period of production 1998 - 2002.
    3. Date of Accumulation: June 2003.
    4. Custodial History: Given to Cardiff University in June 2003.
    5. Immediate Source of Acquisition: Transferred by Madeline Wiltshire on behalf of ITN to Cardiff University
  3. Content & Structure
    1. Scope & Content: First Edition was a news programme for 9 – 13 year olds, presented by Jon Snow, aired on Channel 4 Schools and produced by ITN & Libra Television Production between 1994 and 2002.

      The Archive contains documentation specific to the production of the television programme, and audio-visual copies of the programme itself. There is also associated documentation, including tie-in newspaper cuttings and internet resources.

      The producers of First Edition were in correspondence with Hillhead Primary School, Glasgow, receiving letters from the pupils weekly, providing their views on the programme and their interest in current affairs. There is also some correspondence from Newton Farm School, Harrow. The correspondence is part of the archive.

      The archive was obtained by the Children, Media, Literacy and Citizenship Research Group, within the School of journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University and the archive is supplemented by their own research documentation, including audio interview recordings with pupils at Hillhead Primary School and Kelvindale Primary School, in Glasgow.

      The resource is of use for the study of children’s responses to television news, as well as providing a detailed case study and history of the programme.
    2. Appraisal / Scheduling: None
    3. Accruals: Further accruals are possible from Madeline Wiltshire and ITN. Additional research material related to the First Edition Archive may be added by the Children, Media, Literacy and Citizenship Research Group at Cardiff University.
    4. Arrangement: Where possible the items are arranged chronologically within their series. There are 6 series, each prefixed as shown below:
      FE1 – Scripts for First Edition
      FE2 – Videos for First Edition
      FE3 – Correspondence
      FE4 – Newscuttings
      FE5 – Internet printouts
      FE6 – Other Items (including supplementary research material)

      Where relevant, each item description is linked with a specific broadcast and the relevant news items featured in that broadcast.
  4. Conditions of Access & Use
    1. Legal: Cardiff University administers the First Edition Archive, with authorisation from Channel 4 (see Supplementary Information 6e).
    2. Access: The First Edition Archive may be viewed by appointment in the Bute Library, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff. The Library is open from Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm. Evening and Saturday viewing may be arranged with the Librarian.
    3. Copyright: Individual copyright of items (if known) is listed with each item. Videos can be viewed under the Educational Recording Agency (ERA) licence, and newspapers can be copied under the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) licence, as arranged by Cardiff University. Otherwise the copyright is held by ITN / Libra Television productions.
      Educational Recording Agency (ERA)
      Newspaper Licensing Agency
    4. Language: English
    5. Physical: The Archive is in overall good condition.
    6. Searching Aids: The Archive is catalogued on a Microsoft Access 2002 database which can be accessed in the Bute Library. There are 3 main tables in the database that can be searched:
      Programme – this has details about each weekly broadcast, including the date, the presenters and the producers.

      Feature – this has details about specific news articles, the headline, keywords, reporter’s name, whether it is a child-related topic, interviewees and child involvement.

      Item – Item descriptions for each item including date, description, dimensions, copyright, creator and format.
  5. Allied Materials
    1. Location of Originals: Viewing copies have been made of all the original videos and should be used in preference to the original version. The childrens’ letters are facsimilies, the originals were destroyed before delivery of the archive.
    2. Existence of Copies: There is an original and viewing set of the videos held by Cardiff University. There is not a full set of videos, but these may be available through external bodies, such as Channel 4 or the BUFVC.
    3. Related Units: Not applicable
    4. Associated Material: There is a folder held by the Bute Library that holds supplementary information related to the archive, including correspondence and copyright authorisation.
    5. Publications: BBC Newsnight Scotland feature 10/11/2003