Cohen & Rosenzweig, Digital History, Ch. 3
Libraryman, Dear Facebook and Google: I love libraries more.
Cat Kong Vs. Googzilla, Burritt Library Newsletter Spring 2008
Finding Aids Next Generation (FANG) Project: a finding aid that incorporates Web 2.0 technologies
National Academies Press Reference Finder
NUCMC: National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
Studio: Digital Images
Doctored images. One serious concern with digitization is the fear that it may be more difficult to detect when sources have been altered. In Digital History, Cohen and Rosenzweig give the example of George E. Mahlberg’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Oswald” (1996). For more examples, look through the collection of “Pictures that Lie” on CNET News. First of all, think about these modified sources as a traditional historian. Is there internal evidence that tells you that they are faked? (In the case of the Mahlberg picture, I’m thinking of the relative dates of men’s headwear, Roland D20 synthesizers and the Dead Kennedys). Now read about the research of Hany Farid at Dartmouth:
- “Keeping it Real,” The Economist (17 Aug 2006).
- Steve Casimiro, “Can Photos Be Trusted?” Popular Science (1 Sep 2005).
- Monya Baker, “Different Strokes,” Technology Review (17 Jan 2005).
- Sarah Webb, “Is It Real or Is It Photoshopped?” Discover (27 Sep 2004).
Do you think that digital manipulation is going to be a serious problem for digital historians or not? Try to write a balanced assessment in your blog.
March 24, 2010 at 2:32 PM
Digital manipulation is a serious concern for all digital historians as we are not trained to uncover these fakes. Our continued vigilance in backing up photos with historical text from investigation and research is our main way of proving our publications. Uncovering fakes will take much effort but we are already inundated with fakes in the tabloid world that we need to be suspicious of. Any photograph that is not backed up with source evidence and facts should be taken as a fake until proven with back up documentation and facts. I see this as a job for historians in the future, to uncover photo fakes for companies and governments who need the truth to manage their endeavors.