1984 Pre-Reading

IS HISTORY STABLE?

JOURNAL

• Does the history that we read, watch, and study reflect the reality?

• Who writes history text books?

• Can history be rewritten? If your answer yes, how do you reconcile the fact?

• Why is history rewritten?

THIS NEARLY ICONIC PORTRAIT (IN THE FORM OF A LITHOGRAPH) OF U.S. PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS A COMPOSITE OF LINCOLN’S HEAD AND THE SOUTHERN

POLITICIAN JOHN CALHOUN’S BODY.

STALIN ROUTINELY AIR-BRUSHED HIS ENEMIES OUT OF PHOTOGRAPHS. IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH A COMMISSAR WAS REMOVED FROM THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH

AFTER FALLING OUT OF FAVOR WITH STALIN.

IN THIS DOCTORED PHOTOGRAPH, MAO TSE-TUNG (RIGHT) HAD PO KU (LEFT) REMOVED FROM THE

ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH, AFTER PO KU FELL OUT OF FAVOR WITH MAO.

IN THIS DOCTORED PHOTOGRAPH, ADOLF HITLER HAD JOSEPH GOEBBELS (SECOND FROM THE RIGHT)

REMOVED FROM THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHY EXACTLY GOEBBELS FELL OUT

OF FAVOR WITH HITLER.

AFTER 58 TOURISTS WERE KILLED IN A TERRORIST ATTACK AT THE TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT IN LUXOR

EGYPT, THE SWISS TABLOID BLICK DIGITALLY ALTERED A PUDDLE OF WATER TO APPEAR AS BLOOD FLOWING

FROM THE TEMPLE.

AN IMAGE OF AN IRANIAN MISSILE TEST APPEARED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF MANY MAJOR NEWSPAPERS. THE

IMAGE WAS FROM THE WEB SITE OF SEPAH NEWS, THE MEDIA ARM OF IRAN’S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS. AFTER

THE PUBLICATION OF THIS PHOTO, IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE SECOND MISSILE FROM THE RIGHT WAS

DIGITALLY ADDED TO THE IMAGE IN ORDER TO CONCEAL A MISSILE ON THE GROUND THAT DID NOT FIRE.

A PHOTO OF AN INJURED ISRAELI COMMANDO LYING ON THE DECK OF A SHIP WAS PUBLISHED BY THE REUTERS

NEWS AGENCY. REUTERS WAS ACCUSED OF EDITORIALIZING BY CROPPING THE ORIGINAL PHOTO

WHICH SHOWED THAT ONE OF THE MEN SURROUNDING THE COMMANDO WAS HOLDING A KNIFE. A REUTERS

REPRESENTATIVE ATTRIBUTED THE CROPPED PHOTOS TO NORMAL EDITORIAL PRACTICE AND ADDED THAT

ONCE THE OMISSION OF THE KNIFE WAS REALIZED, THE ORIGINAL PHOTO WAS RELEASED.

THOUGHTS? FEARS?