Most politicians would love a chance to edit their page in the history books.
Gov. Mike Easley’s staff actually did.
Last year, members of Easley’s press office heavily rewrote an entry on him in a book by state-employed historians on North Carolina’s governors.
Over several drafts, they deleted a reference to a failed U.S. Senate bid, speculation that he dislikes campaigning and a note that he had a boyhood reputation "for making mischief."
They added a quote from Easley about patriotism, a line about how he "successfully led" the state to a "new global economy" and the fact that USA Today once named him one of the country's top drug busters.
In the end, more than two-thirds of the final draft came from the governor's office.
Click here to read the first draft of the biography by historian Michael Hill, and here to read the published version as edited by the governor's office.
Comments
Re: Editing history
June 16, 2007 - 11:45pm — packpat1It would be great if the Observer reported on how Easley is a do nothing Governor. Does he ever come out of the Mansion or answer questions in public?
Re: Editing history
June 16, 2007 - 6:19pm — gercohenuseful public service by the N&O. I can buy the official version, use a razor blade, and then download and paste in the real one.
Re: Editing history
June 16, 2007 - 9:07am — BlawgDawgWhat's the big deal? This happens all the time at the National level. These guys are merely taking after George Stephanopoulos (Clinton), Bill Moyers (Johnson), Chris Matthews (Moynihan), Tim Russert (Moynihan). It's called "legacy".
What about all the race car wrecks? They're not in either version.