Sky News podcast presenter Martha Kelner recently called transcription ‘the first draft of history’[1], when talking about the use of transcription to record US presidents’ public words.

On the Trump100 podcast, she talks about how US presidents’ public remarks are officially transcribed, and these transcriptions have typically been translated to foreign embassies and sent around the world, as well as being distributed to the press and then put up online – important for transparency and accountability, as well as being a historical record for future generations.

Below, we explore the surprisingly vital role transcription has played in modern history.

 Transcription in US politics – a time machine

US presidents have typically had their every public utterance transcribed by White House stenographers since President Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president, was elected in 1889. Since then, most US presidents have followed this precedent.

Referring to transcripts of recordings made by then President John F Kennedy in the White House, research specialist Ken Hughes said:

‘It is a time machine. It’s like if you could just dial up the past and be a fly on the wall as people are making incredibly important decisions’.[2]

Bill Clinton was the first president to make his office’s transcriptions available to the public via the internet, a practice which has continued all the way to Trump, who has removed transcriptions in favour of White House-selected video – consistent with his made-for-TV-style presidency.[3] In Trump’s case, transcriptions are still being made, however, just not being shared publicly. In fact, according to news stories that came out in the early days of Trump’s second presidency, White House stenographers were becoming exhausted by having to record the amount of talking Trump was doing!

Of course, it’s not just US presidents who have relied on transcription. Throughout modern history, written transcriptions of a live event are important for allowing future generations to gain clarity and an understanding of the past and to provide an objective record. From Watergate to the moon landings to the Nuremburg trials, the use of transcription to offer a clear view of history has been vital.

Here are just a few examples:

 Watergate

With Watergate, transcripts weren’t just the first draft of history; they had a role in making history, instrumental in bringing down an entire government and leading to the resignation and impeachment of President Nixon.

Nixon had been able to deny allegations of wrongdoing and any knowledge of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters one night in June 1972. He then refused to turn over tapes of his recorded White House conversations that might shed light on the matter,  but once the transcripts (which he’d heavily redacted) were released, the tide of public opinion turned against the president, as they:

‘…showed Nixon contemptuous of the United States, its institutions, and its people’.[4]

According to Journalist Tom Van der Voort:

‘Far from putting the matter to rest, the transcripts showed some of the president’s worst qualities—and they raised more questions about Watergate than they answered. Why was the president, for example, discussing raising a million dollars in connection with the Watergate burglars?’[5]

The fact that so much information in the transcripts was redacted prompted the public to demand further information, and when the ‘smoking gun’ tapes were eventually released, showing that Nixon did, in fact, know about the break-in to the Watergate building, his dishonesty was exposed, and he was forced to resign.

Without the transcripts, which he fought against releasing, would Nixon have been held accountable?

 Apollo moon landing

The transcripts of the Apollo moon landing on 20th July 1969 create a word-for-word record of one of the greatest ever feats of human engineering and now serve as a valuable educational resource for students, researchers and anyone interested in space exploration. They offer insights into the challenges faced by the astronauts and the engineering prowess required to achieve the landing – in granular detail.

The transcripts help ensure that the details of this pivotal moment in human history are easily accessible to future generations.

 Nuremburg trials

Another unparalleled, but much darker, moment in history is the trail of the Nazis in Nuremberg. The forensic cross-examination of the Nazi leadership fully exposed, in horrifying detail, the masterminds behind one of the worst genocides in human history.

The transcripts provide a written record of the trial that is now priceless for modern researchers studying international law, war crimes and the Holocaust.

The transcripts were also vital for allowing the information to be translated and passed quickly to other countries, important when the Nuremburg trial judges were from all over the world and spoke a variety of languages, and those on trial often spoke German.

The transcriptions, while harrowing, provide an unflinching view of the worst of human nature and stand as an important warning against any repetition. For example, the lack of adequate reporting in Cambodia or the Balkans conflict mean that atrocities committed there will never fully be known.

 History, verbatim

Martha Kelner, a journalist herself, was likely paraphrasing the quote attributed to a Washington Post journalist in the 1960s, calling journalism the ‘first rough draft of history’.

Journalism may be the ‘the first rough draft of history’, but even before a journalist has filtered the news of the day through their interpretation, employers  – and subsequent biases – for our consumption, a transcription provides a true first draft of history, verbatim.

[1] Trump100 podcast

[2] Ken Hughes, The Miller Centre.org

[3] Trump100 podcast

[4] The Providence Journal via Wikipedia

[5] Watergate: The Cover-Up, Tom Van der Voort, The Miller Centre.org