[Infowarrior] - Airbrushing History, American Style

[Richard Forno]

Airbrushing History, American Style

Scott Althaus and Kalev Leetaru
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 25, 2008
http://www.clinecenter.uiuc.edu/airbrushing_history/

Update: November 26, 2008: See UI News Bureau Press Release.

KEY FINDINGS

     *
       There are at least five documents taking the form of White  
House press releases that detail the number and names of countries in  
the "Coalition of the Willing" that publicly supported the 2003  
invasion of Iraq. At one time, all five of these documents were  
archived on the White House web site.
     *
       Today, only three of these five documents can still be accessed  
in the White House archives. One of the missing lists was removed from  
the White House web site at some point in late 2004, and the other was  
removed between late 2005 and early 2006. These two "missing" lists  
represent earlier and smaller lists of coalition members.
     *
       The text of three of these five documents was altered at some  
point after their initial release, even though in most cases the  
documents still retained their original release dates and were  
presented as unaltered originals. These alterations to the public  
record changed the apparent number of countries making up the  
coalition, as well as the names of countries in the coalition. Some of  
these alterations appear to have been made as long as two years after  
the document's purported release date.
     *
       Of the five documents, only two appear to have remained  
unaltered after the date of their initial release. These are the only  
two of the five that could be authentic originals. However, we find no  
evidence that either of these press releases was distributed broadly  
to the media through normal electronic channels.
     *
       Two versions of the coalition list dated March 27, 2003 can be  
currently accessed on the White House web site. Both claim that there  
were 49 countries in the coalition, but one lists only 48 by name,  
omitting Costa Rica. The revision history of this document shows that  
Costa Rica's name was removed retroactively at some point in late  
2004, after the Costa Rican Supreme Court ruled that continued use of  
its name on the list was a violation of Costa Rica's constitution.
     *
       Taken together, these findings suggest a pattern of revision  
and removal from the public record that spans several years, from 2003  
through at least 2005. Instead of issuing a series of revised lists  
with new dates, or maintaining an updated master list while preserving  
copies of the old ones, the White House removed original documents,  
altered them, and replaced them with backdated modifications that only  
appear to be originals.

http://www.clinecenter.uiuc.edu/airbrushing_history/