The US National Archives: We made a mistake.

[demmiblue]

Link to tweet

We made a mistake.

As the National Archives of the United States, we are and have always been completely committed to preserving our archival holdings, without alteration.

In an elevator lobby promotional display for our current exhibit on the 19th Amendment, we obscured some words on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March.

This photo is not an archival record held by the @usnatarchives, but one we licensed to use as a promotional graphic. Nonetheless, we were wrong to alter the image.

We have removed the current display and will replace it as soon as possible with one that uses the unaltered image.

We apologize, and will immediately start a thorough review of our exhibit policies and procedures so that this does not happen again.

[Thomas Hurt]

1. (sniff, sniff) smells like....Trumpist apparatchik.

[PJMcK]

2. I smell Trump's fingers in this

What a putrid piece of shit is Trump.

[spanone]

3. Bullshit. The mistake was trying to kiss trump's ass.

[getagrip_already]

4. our mistake was getting caught - we are terribly sorry about that

it won't happen again.

[Jamastiene]

6. THIS n/t

[dameatball]

22. Yup. We are very sorry (that you caught us) and will correct the error (someday).

[pandr32]

59. Yep--no firm commitment on when it will be fixed

Otherwise, the response would have been "immediately".

[True Blue American]

54. You said it

Someone thought it would be a good idea to suck up.

Isn’t it wonderful that we have Investigative Journalism?

[snowybirdie]

5. BUSTED!

Thank you free press.

[Grasswire2]

7. #SoSoviet -- hashtag being assigned to this kind of deceit. nt

[gratuitous]

11. Between this and Stephen Miller's "load refugees on trains" idea

I'd say we're about five minutes past Stalin o'clock.

[Iggo]

8. Yeah, but they did it.

It may have been a mistake, but it was no accident.

They did it on purpose.

[yellowcanine]

14. I smell a Trumper rat.

[ChazInAz]

33. Yep

There is no reason to do this, other than to soothe the raging Id of our God-Emperor.

[bluestarone]

9. Will watch to see if they get it RIGHT

The second time around! (bet they don't)

[Karadeniz]

10. They'll get their standards right in the future.

[Buns_of_Fire]

12. I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. This time, anyway.

Yeah, they screwed up. They admitted it (very untrumpian). Okay. Go and sin no more.

Remember, one of the goals of the RabidRight is to make us distrust all government institutions. Unless this starts becoming a habit, I see no need to throw the baby out with the trumpwater.

[MyOwnPeace]

41. Sorry - not so inclined.

We don't know who or why:
1. pressure from "some boss"
2. decision to "not make waves"

Either one is SO wrong for someone in the National Archives - the "keeper" of truth and what actually happened - recorded for history.

Somebody employed there does not understand the mission of the place - and has made a serious distortion of an historical event.
What if they decided:

Ford's Theater - a disgruntled person with a bad seat
Washington Crossing the Delaware - some drunken buddies out fishing
Gettysburg Address - fund-raising for the 1864 campaign

No, don't throw out the baby - but make damned sure that baby is nowhere near any decision-making situation.

[Buns_of_Fire]

55. I see your point. But the picture was just being used as part of a promotional

display -- not as an official record. They don't even control the original image (they licenced it for the occasion). Just like you'll never see a Chevrolet in the background of a Ford advertisement, they chose (badly, considering who they are) to blur out distracting references to things (like Comrade Fatass) that don't have any relevance to the 19th Amendment.

BBD&O (Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, the advertising agency) can get away with things like that. The National Archives can't (and shouldn't). It was a dumb decision, but I don't see the evil in it (unless, like I said, it starts becoming a habit).

[yellowcanine]

13. Credit for admitting they were wrong but now we need to know why it happened.

And the Trumper who did this needs to find other employment. Altering photos by the National Archives is reprehensible.

[erronis]

15. I'm sure there's a cushy job for him/her, just like the rest of the viruses injected into the gov't

to destroy democracy and decency.

Hope the oligarchs have a huge chest to support all these parasites.

Oh, wait - that's all the taxpayer $s - including the deplorable tea-party idjuts that just love them some dumps.

[DEbluedude]

29. Agree 100%

This is a fascist tactic. The people responsible should be held accountable.

[Igel]

46. Agreed.

Lots of people seem to be mind readers and have already lept to judgment. (Yes, I say "lept", not "leaped". Call it dialectal variation.)

[groundloop]

16. I wonder if the photographer took legal action for breaking copyright agreements

Most of the time photographs are licensed for display, and that license normally does not include the right to alter the image. I'd imagine if the photographer got wind of this he/she would be plenty pissed and would insist the altered image be taken down.

[Shipwack]

35. The image was licensed from Getty Images

In a statement they said that they had given approval for the image to be used for the exhibit, but were researching to see if they had given approval for alterations.

[dalton99a]

17. Get rid of the Trump cultist(s) responsible for this bullshit

[dweller]

18. do we know for sure

if this is the only time this has happened?

✌🏼

[TreasonousBastard]

19. What did they alter?

[wryter2000]

21. I can't see it, either

[SunSeeker]

26. They blurred out anti-Trump posters in a photograph of the Women's March.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-archives-exhibit-blurs-images-critical-of-president-trump/2020/01/17/71d8e80c-37e3-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html

[wryter2000]

39. Thank you!

[Quackers]

23. They removed or blurred anything that was critical of Trump in the photograph. nt

[MyOwnPeace]

42. And also.........

any reference to female anatomy (I don't need to post pics - you can figure that one out!).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-archives-exhibit-blurs-images-critical-of-president-trump/2020/01/17/71d8e80c-37e3-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html?utm_campaign=post_most&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm=1#comments-wrapper

[SunSeeker]

25. They blurred out anti-Trump posters in a photograph of the Women's March.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-archives-exhibit-blurs-images-critical-of-president-trump/2020/01/17/71d8e80c-37e3-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html

[TreasonousBastard]

30. Thanx. Shades of the USS McCain-- never let the master see the evil.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

48. The dotard has such a fragile ego.

[malaise]

20. Whoever gave the order must sbe called out

Whoever obeyed it must resign. This cretin and his goons do not get to rewrite history

[Paladin]

24. Translation: "We got caught." (nt)

[SCVDem]

27. They have destroyed our

Trust in government !

[Piasladic]

28. I'm going with the benefit of doubt

Yes, they made a mistake, but they're owning up. Yes, they got caught, but they're fixing it. I really think they mean to do right. Time will tell if I'm being hopelessly naive again, but I'm hopeful.

[griloco]

31. Just fire the MadMAGAHatters...

(Though it was probably orchestrated by Hillary... by email... from Benghazi...

[MyOwnPeace]

43. Hillary - Benghazi..............

and came from Obama's server in Kenya!

[IronLionZion]

32. Sounds like something out of Russia

since they're using the 1st amendment as toilet paper these days

[Hekate]

34. Someone in the public who noticed, a free press, and public outcry. Good to know they still work!

[MyOwnPeace]

44. And needed NOW.........

more than ever!!!!

This has more meaning every day:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. --- Martin Niemoller

[Dukkha]

36. Steaming pile of horse hockey

A typo is a mistake. Altering a photo is a premeditated forgery on an historic event.

[Tanuki]

38. It's especially unacceptable coming from the Natonal Archives,

an institution that should know better.

[TygrBright]

37. Historians are familiar with human frailty... normally world-weary and tolerant...

...until you mess with HISTORY.

And, especially, if the one doing the messing is ALSO one of those who should know better.

Talk about poking a stick in a hornet's nest!

diffidently,
Bright

[UniteFightBack]

40. There is no good reason for them altering this photo. nt

[kairos12]

45. Seen it before.

Photos probably declared as "degenerate."

[Mickju]

47. I'm glad they have done this, but it doesn't erase their crime.

[Stinky The Clown]

49. Good. They must have heard from lots of people today.

I know they heard from us.

[dalton99a]

50. ACLU: Apologizing is not enough.

[malaise]

57. THIS

It was not a mistake

[MyOwnPeace]

60. Correct..........

and whoever is making those decisions needs to be gone!

[C_U_L8R]

51. Who specifically ordered this 'mistake'?

[orleans]

52. "The museum also obscured the words "pussy" and vagina" in protest signs."

this was a huge fuck up
what is their motto: preserving the past in a way we deem acceptable?
fuck them

part of their apology tour says:
" Modifying the image was an attempt on our part to keep the focus on the records.”
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ASSHOLES! we're talking about "your records" now!

the subject line quote (and apology tour quote) is from this buzzfeed piece:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/olivianiland/national-archives-womens-march-photo-apology-trump

[Bummfuzzle]

53. This is a little bit reassuring. I was truly disappointed to hear earlier the alter image.

[Rogerpatterson]

56. Government distrust

The suspicion is what happens when you can't trust anything coming out of the whitehouse. When politicians can't speak the truth for fear of retribution and would rather lie than risk angering a person that has no conscience and believes the ends justify the means. I hope for a reckoning and urge everyone do the right thing and get the liars out of our government.

[sellitman]

58. George Orwell