{"id":1663,"date":"2026-05-19T11:27:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmstar.online\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:27:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:27:46","slug":"marion-stokes-recording-800000-hours-of-tv-over-35-years-to-fight-history-rewriting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmstar.online\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"Marion Stokes: Recording 800,000 Hours of TV Over 35 Years to Fight History Rewriting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This woman is Marion Stokes, a former librarian, software programmer, and civil rights activist who realized that television history could easily be manipulated. Starting in 1979, during the Iran hostage crisis, she began recording 24-hour news channels to preserve an unedited, unaltered timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"679\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/filmstar.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HIkvCP0XEAA1Gyd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmstar.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HIkvCP0XEAA1Gyd.jpg 679w, https:\/\/filmstar.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HIkvCP0XEAA1Gyd-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<script>\natOptions = {\n    'key' : '36aabef7a663596ab1bd887149de9c61',\n    'format' : 'iframe',\n    'height' : 140,\n    'width' : 60,\n    'params' : {}\n};\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/36aabef7a663596ab1bd887149de9c61\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vision of an Archivist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Catalyst:<\/strong>\u00a0Starting during the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis, Stokes realized that major networks were wiping and recycling old tapes to save money, permanently erasing unedited history.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Setup:<\/strong>\u00a0She continuously ran up to eight VCRs at once in her Philadelphia home, requiring her family and staff to frantically swap out tapes while she was away.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What Was Recorded:<\/strong>\u00a0Beyond hard news, she captured commercials, pop culture, political debates, and breaking events like 9\/11 and the Sandy Hook massacre. Her final recording was made on the day she died in December 2012.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-dailymotion wp-block-embed-dailymotion wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Marion Stokes: Recording 800,000 Hours of TV Over 35 Years to Fight History Rewriting\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"421\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/geo.dailymotion.com\/player.html?video=xaa88jg&#038;\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<script>\natOptions = {\n    'key' : '36aabef7a663596ab1bd887149de9c61',\n    'format' : 'iframe',\n    'height' : 140,\n    'width' : 60,\n    'params' : {}\n};\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/36aabef7a663596ab1bd887149de9c61\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Preserving the Truth<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stokes believed that without a comprehensive archive, media elites and shifting political climates could alter past narratives and manipulate public memory. By quietly accumulating an unedited visual timeline, she created an objective &#8220;time capsule&#8221; that now serves as an invaluable resource to hold power accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ongoing Legacy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her monumental collection was entrusted to her son, who donated it to the Internet Archive in San Francisco. Today, archivists continue the massive undertaking of digitizing her life&#8217;s work to make it permanently searchable and publicly accessible. The details of her unprecedented dedication are detailed in the 2019 documentary,\u00a0<em>Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more about her inspiring quest to &#8220;fight history rewriting&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Browse the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/librarian-recorded-800-000-hours-news-over-35-years-leaves-flna2d11709280\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBC News<\/a>\u00a0feature on her 35-year endeavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explore community discussions and modern perspectives on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/interestingasfuck\/comments\/1rhvwdf\/marion_stokes_believed_television_news_would_one\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reddit<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/someamazingfacts\/posts\/-the-woman-who-saved-tv-history-on-71000-vhs-tapeswhile-most-people-taped-their-\/1474579244699182\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This woman is Marion Stokes, a former librarian, software programmer, and civil rights activist who realized that television history could 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