[UPDATE 2009-01-23]
The White House has the true Full Text
RTFA: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/
WhiteHouse.gov has posted both a video and full-text of Obama’s Inaugural Address. It should be noted that their version differs from all versions available online. Due to this, there was only one true way to verify which version is correct. Therefore, I listened to the Inaugural Address while reading the full text from WhiteHouse.gov, and it is completely accurate, right down to the contractions and conjunctions. All the other sources were off with random words here or there, but the White House provides the exact version. It’s been a long time since that could be said …
Another cool feature of the White House’s webpage is that it allows you to download the video in .mp4 format to archive or share.
[/UPDATE]
Almost immediately after watching the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, I began looking for full text versions of Obama’s Inaugural Address online. Of course, many sites are offering text of the address.
However my paranoia demanded that I copy the provided full texts into a text document and compare across transcripts. This yielded a somewhat interesting find that not all sites provide identical text of the speech. And, I’m not talking about formatting issues here, I’m talking about different words.
Out of the 10 sites that were among the first hits in Google, 6 sites had identical text of the Inaugural Address (see the list of the winners below). Two sites (yahoo and USA Today) corrected a misspelling that was propagated across the consistent 6 (yahoo and USA Today said, “forebears” instead of “forebearers”). Finally, 2 sites (New York Times and United Press International) had multiple word substitutes, despite claiming to have the “full text” of the Inaugural Address. The errors in the New York Times and United Press International are identical, so they are probably working from the same source.
Don’t believe me: see for yourself. As an example, let’s compare Time Magazine and the New York Times, with the bold in the quoted areas being my emphasis on the distinctions:
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
All this we can do. And all this we will do.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
All this we can do. All this we will do.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
And those of us who manage the public’s knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
We’ll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we’ll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.
Time, RTFA:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1…
They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
New York Times, RTFA: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20te…
They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.
Those are the content changes that were captured when I compared transcripts using my word processing software. The differences in UPI are identical to the NYT. For the most part, it looks like the New York Times and UPI were trying to cut out words to save a tad bit of money. However, other words are just straight-up different (e.g., “knowledge” and “dollars”). Granted these are not big differences between the transcripts, but in the interest of journalistic integrity and documentation of history, these differences are big enough. Fie!
In sum, when you are moving to make a mirror of Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, be mindful of the transcript that you are copying. Please use one of the sites listed as being consistent with each other below.
Sites with multiple errors:
Sites with 1 word off (A spelling correction: “Forebears” instead of “Forebearers”):
Sites with identical text:
