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Review by: Juanita MacDonald |
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During the month of October 2003, CBC programming focused heavily on the Halifax explosion featuring, after considerable promotion, Shattered City, a two part dramatic mini-series. This was followed by a documentary entitled City of Ruins. In December a 10-minute segment, Love From Katie, was aired. It told the story of the Christmas tree sent annually from Nova Scotia to Boston to thank the people of Massachusetts for their relief efforts following the explosion. Shattered City which cost $11 million to produce, drew 1.4 million viewers. Many felt it was long overdue and that arguably the most momentous event in the province’s history had for decades been ignored by the rest of Canada, remembered only as one of many atrocities of the war to end all wars. It is not inconceivable, therefore, that a television audience, with interest peaked and investigative feelers out, turned to the Halifax Explosion website for clarification on discrepancies between what they remembered and what really happened. Like many of Canada’s federal institutions, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has a mandate to promote national unity. Through its public disseminations, the CBC constructs a national narrative and notions of a common history that form the essence of Canada’s cultural identity. In the wake of the success of Canada: A People’s History, the CBC continues to present popular representations of the past, in its Canadian Experience series and others. It has also combined new and traditional information technologies to provide a comprehensive treatment of historical events such as the Halifax explosion of 1917. As with many recent online initiatives emanating from the CBC, The Halifax Explosion website provides full coverage of history and memory. A compendium to its documentary and dramatic representations of historic events, the website constructs an epic national narrative based on heroism in the face of chaos, a national identity from ruins of disaster. Now that the documentary has been archived and the mini-series re-packaged on dvd and available from the CBC’s online boutique, the Halifax Explosion website remains. The purpose of the website is to bring together CBC’s resources and those of major research bodies, community groups and individuals, to chronicle the story of one of the worst man-made explosions in history and to show how the Halifax explosion and the hard lessons it taught effect our lives today. We are taken on a journey through the transformations of the City of Halifax pre and post disaster. The website invites us to explore a City of Promise, a City of Ruins, and a City in Shock. Links to City of Ruins and Shattered City sub-sites are found on every page of Halifax Explosion. For City of Ruins we are taken to cbc.ca’s television section on documentaries and presented with what is essentially a page-long tv guide announcement. The air time and date are posted. It is explained that City of Ruins constructs a moving narrative of the devastating event by intertwining heart-wrenching memories from survivors with archival news footage and still photography. Similarly, Shattered City was created as a virtual part of cbc.ca’s televisions section on mini-series. A brief synopsis of this two-part mini series is provided. In a Behind the Scenes page, digitized on-set stills accompany six video clips from the cast and crew. They discuss the challenges faced while producing the mini-series and what they learned about the event from their involvement in the production. The Halifax Explosion website, therefore, not only functions as a virtual essay on an historical subject, it reminds us that history is open to interpretation in documentary and dramatic form. Does the website do what is says it will? When we find ourselves in the Aftermath and Recovery phase of a heinous time in history, every angle, every cause and effect has been completely explained. A city, a region was dealt a devastating blow, a nation continued to wage war. The CBC’s classifies the Halifax explosion in the category of disasters and tragedies. It is, however, also inextricably linked to other aspects of our national identity, our military, international, and economic history. Will we be able to learn from lessons of the past? Will the Halifax Explosion become entrenched in our national narrative? These questions remain unanswered. According to site credits The Halifax Explosion website project appears to have been overseen by a core group of CBC marketing, communications, new media coordinators and managers, partnership executives, television and radio directors. The names of these individuals who are responsible for the CBC in the Atlantic region are listed along with members of the Education Committee, CBC Content Committee, Invited Content Contributors, and the web production team. Also listed in the credits, often with website links, are numerous contributors to the project ranging from museums, archives, and galleries mostly in Nova Scotia, to federal government agencies, corporations, universities, and unaffiliated individuals. It is not difficult to determine from the credits, contact information (e-mail, snail mail, phone), and a partner listing on the website exactly when and what information is provided by the CBC. Where off-site links are present, a disclaimer clearly states that the CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. Similarly, CBC Terms of Use policy which is a link at the bottom of each page of the website also lays out protection and ownership regulations for content: All materials displayed or otherwise accessible through the Web site, including, without limitation, news articles, text, photographs, images, illustrations, audio clips, video clips, computer software and code (collectively, the Content) are protected under Canadian and foreign copyright or other laws, and are owned by CBC/SRC, its licensors or the party accredited as the provider of the Content. Clearly partnerships were necessary to identify and amass such an extensive online collection of resources related to the Halifax Explosion. Creators and collectors of information, however, do not always determine its value and control. Ultimately decisions regarding creation of original content and positioning or configuration of all information disseminated from The Halifax Explosion website rested with the sole sponsoring agency, the CBC. When the CBC’s television programming schedule showcased Shattered City and City of Ruins, The Halifax Explosion website was prominently shown under the Online Features section on the main page at cbc.ca. It has since been replaced by NHL Playoffs 2004 and Greatest Canadian, a site that features brief bios of great Canadians and invites us to nominate and vote for the person we think is the greatest. In this case, input elicited through and influenced by content on a website, will determine the episodes shown on a tv series. Fortunately, at this time the Halifax Explosion website can be located by searching the CBC online database on the main page of cbc.ca. There is no certainty as to how long the website in its entirety or specific elements of it will remain in tact. The CBC’s policy on content retention is not reassuring: Unless specifically stated otherwise, CBC does not commit to retaining radio or television program content online for any period of time. In order to provide added value to its radio and television programs offering, CBC carries online elements of some of its radio and television programs. The purpose of online material retention is only to ease consultation by Internet users and not to set up nor to provide archives, unless when explicitly stated. Like all CBC websites, access to The Halifax Explosion is not guaranteed and could be denied or revoked at any time. Termination policy states that CBC/SRC may at any time, without notice, in its sole discretion and without cause, terminate your right to access or use the Web site, (or any portion thereof). The Halifax Explosion in web time is still a relatively new site. Although the copyright date at the bottom of each page reads 2004, no posting or revision dates are given. The site has remained stable as all links are in working order except for the continue arrow at the beginning of the Connections section. The web is a fickle and capricious medium and it is extremely difficult to judge the timeliness and permanence of history sites sponsored by up-to-the-moment news-driven media organizations. It is possible that when December 6th draws near, as a kind of commemoration, no doubt in conjunction with tv and radio programming, the site will return to the main page of cbc.ca and interest in this aspect of the past will be re-ignited. A number of features add value to the site including a glossary of terms, sitemap, and Using This Site section which mentions copyright policy and lists media players that will allow the user to get the most from the site. A Learn More section contains a number of resource links to heritage institutions and organizations. These links are not annotated. Although it is not possible to search for content unique to the Halifax Explosion website, the search function of cbc.ca is displayed on each page and content from all cbc online initiatives can be searched. This is not always helpful to the user. Technology enhances both the accessibility and knowledge delivery capabilities of Halifax Explosion. There is a text only version for visually or hearing impaired. Use of Flash and Quicktime is imaginative and unobtrusive and greatly enhances our understanding of the subject matter. Flash technology allows us to take a very different look at Halifax harbour by watching a moving multibeam bathymetric map from the Geographic Survey of Atlantic Canada. In a flash-inspired collision timeline feature, we can manipulate a time bar from 8:30 am to 9:04 to view a moving recreation of the Imo and the Mount Blanc on their collision courses to disaster. This is accompanied by a brief textual explanation. We can also choose to view the historic event as seen from Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, or from the air. It is almost as if we are there.
The site is effortlessly drivable; it is easy to identify where you are and how to maneuver at any point throughout the journey. Navigation is smooth because the following signs appear on the left of every page: The Halifax Explosion Title, the six major themes of the site, For Teachers, Shattered City, City of Ruins, site map, learn more, using this site, credits, contact us, glossary, our partners, and text only. Interactives associated with each theme are set at the top of the page along with the image and media galleries. Once inside the image gallery it is possible to select images related to any of the themed sections, not just the one you were in when you entered the image gallery. AESTHETICS/VISUAL CLARITY & APPEAL Aesthetically Halifax Explosion is clear and uncluttered, thereby contributing to a sense of cohesion and a fluid movement between pages. Backgrounds are white throughout and do not detract from frequently used black and white archival images. Blocks of beige frame the Did You Know and Ask a Librarian features along the right-hand side of sub-sections within the main thematic sections. Users can click on green, blue, and brown squares in each thematic section to view different interactive features. We also find the green, blue, and brown colour blocks in the For Teachers logo. Although the CBC logo is present on each page, its gray and white colours make it very inconspicuous. A small solid black text bar at the top of every page directs us to cbc tv, radio, boutique, and the searchable database. This reminds us that Halifax Explosion is one of many online initiatives of the sponsoring agency and that the design of the site is in compliance with corporation standards. Halifax Explosion is a detailed collaborative piece of work. The essay stems from a close reading of a variety of published and archival sources ranging from oral interviews to film and photographs. Secondary and primary sources are cited in the essay, adding credibility to statements about the events of the past. The text is largely narrative and descriptive and allows us to form opinions based on our own interprestaton of archival documents. At times debate and deeper analysis would be welcome. When, it is mentioned, for example, that historians continue to debate issues, we are not given the opportunity to hear from these experts. Nonetheless, the sheer volume of material cited allows users to identify areas where viewpoints may differ. The essay, although original, is not given authorship. We learn from the credits that a committee of outside experts was struck presumably to verify the accuracy of content. Writing style is jargon free and understandable to a broad audience; many terms such as tsunami are linked to a glossary. The content of the website is divided into five main themes: City of Promise sets the historical stage and portrays Halifax / Dartmouth as a booming city in business and industry and changing so rapidly that its great natural harbour, busier than ever, saw frequent collisions and was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. We are asked to consider who’s in charge of all that harbour traffic? The answer is unclear… Demographically, Richmond, the north-end areas of the city hardest hit by the explosion, is established as an ethnically-mixed middle and working class neighbourhood. City of Ruins builds suspense with the sub-section countdown to catastrophe in which the freight manifest for the Mont-Blanc is looked upon as a recipe for a giant bomb. A second sub-section, collision course tracks the actions of the two ships. Blame is not placed on either ship although enough evidence is presented that we are inclined to point the finger at the Imo. We are privileged to be able to listen to a remarkable and telling piece of evidence, an audio clip of a 1958 CBC interview with harbour pilot Francis Mackey. We are told that although a judicial inquiry put most of the blame on him, other courts including the Supreme Court of Canada disagreed saying no one person was responsible. A third sub-section of the City of Ruins theme describes what was happening on the Mont-Blanc, elsewhere in the harbour, in Mi’ kmaq and other communities seconds before the explosion. Two eye witnesses, Barbara Orr and James Pattison are mentioned and we are able to click on their images and read a mini-biography of their lives replete with archival photographs. City in Shock chronicles the massive devastation that hit so many sectors and citizens of the city, including Richmond and the immediate area, black and mi’kmaq communities, firefighters and the military. Website commentary accompanying an audio clip of a 1958 CBC interview with Nova Scotia writer Thomas Raddall questions the validity of this archival resource, or more accurately the memory of an eye witness. The website stated that Raddall's recollection of a cart filled with black people who had died in the Explosion is not supported by any official records. It's possible the young boy saw bodies that had been trapped in fire, or oily smoke. City of Shock relies on records of the Halifax Relief Commission to explain how the relief effort was organized. It describes the insurmountable challenges faced by relief and rescue volunteers, particularly medical workers from across the city, the province, parts of Canada such as Ottawa and surroundings, and the United States, mainly the State of Massachusetts whose total relief contribution reached over $750000 US. It is possible to click on a digitized archival photograph of the US naval ship, S. S. Old Colony and learn about the rescue work activities of American sailors in Halifax. Death tolls are also listed in this section. It is also possible to follow a link from the Halifax Explosion website to Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management’s searchable database project, The Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrancewhich is a definitive listing of the dead. Aftermath and Recovery details recovery and rebuilding efforts. It is mentioned that some recovery strategies like street layout design and housing development were not well received by those rendered homeless from the disaster. This theme is best understood from visual representations and we are directed to a digitized exhibit by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic of unclaimed personal effects and a silent black and white aftermath film with subtitles explaining sites of destruction, aid stations, and buildings. This footage now runs 6: 24 minutes in real time. Finally, Connections, which refers to connections from the past to the past, points to lessons that have been learned in law, disaster management, science, art and culture. We are encouraged to compare reactions to the Halifax Explosion with other disasters such as the crash or Swissair flight 111 and New York’s 9/11. We are reminded that Halifax had dealt with the tragedy of the Titanic only years before the explosion. The Society and Culture sub-section of Connections is a comprehensive annotated review of important sources on the explosion in the areas of journalism, fiction, non-fiction, music and poetry and art. The web-site concludes with a sub-section on how the historic event is commemorated each year with a bell ringing ceremony at precisely 9:04:35 at the Fort Needham memorial. If we chose we may listen to an audio-clip of Barbara Orr who rang the carillon for the first time in 1985. It is almost like we are there. Primary source documents drive the content and design of the Halifax Explosion website. The physical and virtual location of original and digitized documents owned by partner contributors is noted. CBC material used on the website can be found in the CBC’s digital archives. The search function of this database is user friendly and shows the extent of the CBC’s collection of tv and radio coverage of the Halifax Explosion over the years. We are able to traverse the timeline and select video or audio clips anywhere from 1956 to 2002. Although copyright and privacy policies are stated there is no explanation provided as to how primary sources were described and digitized.
A nation is built from the minds of its youth; indoctrination occurs in its curricula and classrooms. The Halifax Explosion website features a For Teachers section containing education material for all grade levels that complements most of the topics on the site. Teachers are offered curriculum guides to five classroom activities and teaching resource links, again with the disclaimer that the CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. Teachers are also encouraged to e-mail teachers@cbc.ca if they have any questions. Although these classroom activities require teacher supervision, they are accompanied by suggested additional or extension activities, that students can complete on their own. Many of the extensions redirect students to CBC online initiatives. Through the five main activities, students identify the key events of the Halifax Explosion, write a letter as a survivor of the explosion to a member of a younger generation, create a three-minute video news broadcast from the scene of the explosion, express the meaning of heroism through the medium of their choice, and investigate and write a report about the leading cause of the Halifax Explosion. However, the website does not follow-up with a link to student work that has utilized the material. Through these exercises, students are encouraged to become so intimately familiar with the causes and devastations of the disaster that are able to situate themselves a the scene. Will they be heroes in this history? In Activity For Teachers students are instructed to discuss the question of heroism with respect to more recent tragedies such as the World Trade Center attacks. We are reminded of how important the culture of heroism is in the United States and left wondering if this it equally as strong a component of Canadian identity. In addition to curriculum material, the For Teachers section of the website includes a number of downloadable resources in pdf file format that promote critical thinking and learning of the material: a power point presentation featuring images from private and public archival collections on the explosion created by Janet Kitz the author of Shattered City: the Halifax Explosion and the Road to Recovery; visual art in the form of an excerpt from a catalogue documenting the artist Arthur Lismer’s time in Halifax, 1918-1919 with an essay by curator Gemey Kelly; poems and a historical docu-comic written and illustrated by Owen McCarron as a tribute to the Halifax Fire Department . Two interactive word games and a quiz test users’ knowledge of facts about the Halifax explosion presented throughout the site. Two main special features in each thematic section of the website enhance the use of the website for purposes of education: Ask A Librarian is a link to the Halifax Public Libraries’ reference question form; and Did You Know, serves somewhat as a footnote although not including the source, shows a silhouette of a person in period costume, relaying additional information about the disaster. Both of these features serve to depict Halifax as an invaluable knowledge resource base, as a city acutely aware of the legacy and history of the explosion. PROMOTION OF A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST The Halifax Explosion website does not move quite far enough away from serving as an archive, an online exhibit and a virtual textbook, to promote a community of interest. Community involvement with materials is seen mostly at the planning or design stage of creation when archives, museums, community organizations and individuals were elicited for archival items, from personal letters and photographs to a docu-comic that could be digitized and incorporated into the project. There is also evidence that viewer feedback on CBC tv programs on the Halifax explosion influenced the content of the website. In a What’s New? element of the main page we are told that Mary Weaver had seen her face in photographs used in CBC historical coverage on tv and wanted the CBC to know about the photo and her own experiences. This information is subsequently provided on the website. Viewers are given the opportunity to contact the CBC about certain aspects of the site if they have questions on teaching materials and if they have any suggestions about the best way to commemorate the historic event. The Halifax Explosion website is not a jumping off point to any listservs, bulletin boards, conferences, outreach activities. The CBC’s main page, however, has a message board component which when visited was experiencing technical difficulties. Therefore, the site does not thoroughly perform the functions of an aortal site enabling the creation of social networks and relationships. OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE SITE As The Halifax Explosion website project illustrates, media corporations such as the CBC have a significant role to play in representing Canada`s past online. The website excels in its interpretation and preservation/digitization of archival documents and production of educational materials. A convergence of technology and archival resources, the website is a comprehensive and respectful treatment of an immensely significant and defining event in Nova Scotian and Canadian history. Because the site serves as both an extension and a supliment to interpretations of history in documentary and dramatic forms, it has the potential to engage a multitute of audiences from tv viewers to online researchers. There is evidence that public memory informed the content of the site. TV viewers such as Mary Weaver shared their experiences with the CBC and the website confirmed their place in history. Nonetheless, the timeliness and permanence of the site and its ability to sustain or foster social networks is not assured.
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ŠApril 2004 Juanita MacDonald |