The Internet Archive has published TVNEWS, a searchable version of its index of 350,000 news broadcasts. Archive founder Brewster Kahle writes, "Today we launched a new service called TV News Search & Borrow. It lets you search through 350,000 news broadcasts to find programs that you may want to borrow for further research. One of our test users found some interesting clips that may help illustrate the usefulness of this service to people who are trying to make voting decisions:
2008: Obama says marriage is between a man and a woman;
2012: Obama says same sex couples should be able to marry;
1994: Romney says he supports legal abortion and Roe v. Wade;
2012: Romney says he supports overturning Roe v. Wade
The collection now contains 350,000 news programs collected over 3 years from national U.S. networks and stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C. The archive is updated with new broadcasts 24 hours after they are aired. Older materials are also being added.
Use the index of searchable text and short, streamed clips to find programs to borrow on DVD-ROM or view at the Internet Archive’s library in San Francisco.
Here's former FCC chairman Newton Minow on the project: "The Internet Archive's TV news research service builds upon broadcasters' public interest obligations. This new service offers citizens exceptional opportunities to assess political campaigns and issues, and to hold powerful public institutions accountable."
