The US’ National Archives on Saturday said it made a mistake when it blurred images of anti-US President Donald Trump signs used in an exhibit on women’s suffrage.
The archives, an independent agency, is charged with preserving government and historical records and said it has always been committed to preserving its holdings “without alteration,” but “we made a mistake.”
The statement came one day after the Washington Post published a report about the altered images.
Photo: AFP
The archives said the photograph in question is not one of its records, but had been licensed for use as a graphic in the exhibit.
“Nonetheless, we were wrong to alter the image,” the agency said.
The display has been removed and would be replaced as soon as possible with one that uses the original, unaltered image, it said.
The exhibit about the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, blurred some anti-Trump messages on protest signs in a photo of the 2017 Women’s March in Washington.
Signs that referred to women’s private parts, which were widespread during the march held shortly after Trump took office, were also altered.
The archives said it will immediately begin a “thorough review” of its policies and procedures for exhibits “so that this does not happen again.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for a more detailed, explanation.
“Apologizing is not enough,” ACLU deputy legal director Louise Melling said in a statement. “The National Archives must explain to the public why it took the Orwellian step of trying to rewrite history and erasing women’s bodies from it, as well as who ordered it.”
Archives spokeswoman Miriam Kleiman told the Post that the agency blurred the anti-Trump references “so as not to engage in current political controversy.”
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