Mediated Collective Memory of Route 66 in The Oklahoman : Folk, Commemorative, and Traumatic Modes Over Nearly a Century

This study examines how The Oklahoman constructed the mediated collective memory of Route 66 from 1928 to 2024 through critical discourse analysis of 514 news articles. Three recurring memory modes—folk, commemorative, and traumatic—were identified. The newspaper consistently privileged nostalgia, heritage, and economic revitalization while marginalizing contradictory and minority histories, particularly African American and Native American experiences. The findings demonstrate journalism’s role in constructing, legitimizing, and constraining collective memory.