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As digital curator of journalism, Edward McCain leads the Journalism Digital News Archive (JDNA); a strategic change agenda addressing issues surrounding access and preservation of digital news collections. He works with faculty and staff at the Missouri School of Journalism, building a framework of linked programs and functions designed to support and enhance digital news archives.

McCain will be having conversations with decision-makers in the news industry to learn more about their needs, technological configurations and functionality requirements in order to determine how to best preserve journalism’s most valuable digital information. His research efforts with the Columbia Missourian newspaper, KBIA-FM radio and KOMU-TV of Columbia, Mo. will function as a test bed for developing new technologies and methodologies to benefit digital news archives on a broader scale. He is also working with Pictures of the Year (POYi) and the Missouri Photojournalism Archive to preserve their photo collections.

Prior to coming to the University, McCain assisted in the publications licensing and marketing department at the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Ariz., Before that he worked as a freelance photographer for more than 25 years creating award-winning editorial and advertising images for print and electronic media including Arizona Highways, The Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Sunset Magazine, The Washington Post and for various corporations. McCain’s photography for the book A Gift of Angels: The Art of Mission San Xavier del Bac published in 2010 earned high praise along with multiple awards. He also worked as a staff photojournalist for the Tucson Citizen newspaper in Tucson, Ariz., The Las Cruces Sun-News in Las Cruces, N.M., and The Midland Reporter-Telegram in Midland, Texas.

His interest in journalism got a jump-start at age 16 after he took photos of a dramatic rescue of accident victims whose car had been swept down a river. The Independence Examiner, his local newspaper, published a five-column photo, shot by McCain, on the front page. News stories/photos like these are part of history and need to be preserved, said McCain.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism and Master of Arts degree in information resources and library science with a certificate in digital information management from the University of Arizona.

McCain lives in Columbia with his wife Rosemary. He has one son Tavish and two stepdaughters Charlie and Aubrey. In his free time McCain enjoys photography, spending time with his family and admiring historical architecture, craftsman furniture and all varieties of antiques.