ERRATUM: When I had first read this article I had mistakenly assumed this was about the Canadian archives, when in fact it was about the US archives. This helps explain why a member of Obama’s admin was part of the process of the decision to alter the record. But as it was Obama that got Trudeau re elected with his endorsement to undo the black face damage, it did not seem unusual that it could be Canada at the time of writing. Thank you DM for the correction. I will leave the post up because the main point is worthy even if the target is a few degrees farther south.
It turns out that Canada’s National “Archives” have as much to do with preserving truth in history as the CBC does in reporting truth in news.
National Archives says it altered Trump signs, other messages in Women’s March photo
The National Archives acknowledged this week that it altered a photograph of the Women’s March, which took place the day after President Trump’s inauguration in 2017, to blur some signs held by marchers that were critical of the president.
Among the alterations are the blotting out of the word “Trump” in a placard that reads “God Hates Trump,” and the blurring of the same word in another sign that reads “Trump & GOP — Hands Off Women.” Words on other signs referencing female anatomy were also altered.
The Archives said the decision to obscure certain words was made as an exhibit featuring the march was being developed. It said the archivist, David Ferriero, who was appointed by former President Obama in 2009 and who was involved in the talks, supports the decision.
“As a non-partisan, non-political federal agency, we blurred references to the President’s name on some posters, so as not to engage in current political controversy,” Archives spokeswoman Miriam Kleiman said in a statement to The Washington Post.
“Our mission is to safeguard and provide access to the nation’s most important federal records, and our exhibits are one way in which we connect the American people to those records. Modifying the image was an attempt on our part to keep the focus on the records.”
If there is an upside, it is that this action by the Archives is like a Cole’s Notes on the book, 1984.
Lets look at that last sentence:
“Modifying the image was an attempt on our part to keep the focus on the records.”
So they preserved the record of the event by altering it. Something which the Obama government supported, because they are non-political. This is what Orwell referred to as “New-speak”. The total misrepresentation of a thing to explain the thing, A contradiction of the facts to justify the action. Or perhaps best stated as, ‘Thesis, counter-thesis, solution’.
“We killed the patient in order to keep the focus on his health”.
At least we are allowed to know for the moment, that Canadian government institutions are taking the Orwell approach to reality as does the CBC. The horror likely won’t start until anyone exposing these methods find themselves in “good health with total freedom” as the National Archives or CBC might put it.
The title says Canadian National Archives but is about the American National Archives isn’t it? Is it the same in Canada?
Checking. I could swear it was Canadian when I first read it. I will fix if its my error.