Learning ModuleCan media shape historical memory?

"Historical memory" describes how societies interpret and communicate past events. It shapes heritage by determining which experiences are acknowledged or ignored. By emphasizing some stories and silencing or changing others, the media’s framing can also shape how history is remembered. Both can play a part in influencing what future generations know about past events.

Sometimes, new facts emerge and this can lead to society revisiting events from the past.

Goals can include the following:

• to learn from what happened in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes
• to empower society with knowledge of the past and to enhance understanding of current events
• to examine the use, abuse, and denial in the media
• to understand how resilience is built
• to foster compassionate global citizens

In this learning module, we will explore how accounts about the Holodomor were recorded at the time, as well as how reports about the events were published in the decades that followed. Then, we will consider how this has impacted the Ukrainian community and heritage in Canada, both historically and in connection with current events.

In the early 1930s, regions across the former Soviet Union (USSR) experienced widespread famine which was deliberately caused by the policies of the Soviet government under the rule of Joseph Stalin. These included forced collectivization of farms, the seizure of grain by the state, and restrictions on movement that prevented people from leaving famine-affected areas. It is estimated that during the harvest of 1932 – 1933, more than 5 million people died from starvation across the USSR.

The famine disproportionately affected rural Ukrainian communities, where over 4.5 million people died between 1932 and 1934. This event is now known as the Holodomor, a Ukrainian word that refers to death inflicted by starvation.

The Soviet Union’s official policy during the Holodomor and for the decades that followed, was to deny it had happened and to mask the fact that millions of people died. To prevent direct witness accounts, journalists were banned from travelling outside of Moscow unless they were supervised by Soviet officials. Some were even paid to publish false or misleading stories. However, accounts of the famine did emerge thanks to the stories that were passed down by survivors and their descendants, as well as the work of brave journalists who defied the authorities to travel into the affected regions to document what was taking place.

For decades, little was known about the Holodomor, and because it was difficult to separate fact from fiction, Western countries did little to address what had happened.

Soviet leadership worked closely with American journalist Walter Duranty to spread propaganda, or their version of events. In the New York Times, Duranty wrote about the success of Soviet policies, and stated that reports of famine were exaggerated. He even earned a Pulitzer Prize in recognition of his work, though in 2003, the organization considered revoking his prize because new evidence showed that his accounts were “gravely defective”.

The term propaganda refers to tools that are used to deliberately spread disinformation about world events. The purpose of propaganda is to influence thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and actions. Usually, only one point of view is presented, and it is done in a way that is meant to be very persuasive.

Meanwhile, British journalists Malcolm Muggeridge and Gareth Jones, along with Canadian journalist Rhea Clyman, defied orders by travelling into the region and providing more accurate accounts of the atrocities they observed. Malcolm Muggeridge was a British correspondent for The Manchester Guardian, Gareth Jones was a Welsh reporter who published his work in The Times, and Rhea Clyman was a Canadian journalist based in Moscow. They conducted their research independently and in different regions of Ukraine and the broader Soviet Union, but similarities in their accounts helped to confirm that the famine did occur, that it was a deliberate act, and that it was politically motivated.

Let’s explore the Canadian connection by learning more about Rhea Clyman.

As one of the first Western journalists to document the Holodomor and expose Stalinist atrocities, she used her platform to share what was happening in Ukraine and to challenge Soviet propaganda. Along with Muggeridge and Jones, Clyman’s reporting helped bring international attention to the famine and its impact on the Ukrainian people. Furthermore, Clyman’s reporting amplified silenced voices and preserved historical memory, offering a rare perspective as a Jewish-Canadian woman documenting one of history’s greatest tragedies.

Clyman’s most significant work came during her time reporting on the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. Unlike many journalists who followed government-guided tours, she traveled independently and lived with local families, witnessing the reality of life under Joseph Stalin’s regime. She reported on forced collectivization, the brutal treatment of political prisoners in labour camps, and the widespread famine.

The following map shows the extent of her travels:

Before we explore a few examples of Clyman’s work, review the following vocabulary included in some of the quotes. 

Ukrainian farmers can be divided into the following distinct classes:

Press the following tabs to examine excerpts taken from a piece by Rhea Clyman, published on May 16, 1933, in the Evening Telegram.

Clyman’s work often conflicted with Soviet propaganda. In September 1932, she was arrested on charges of spreading false news about the Soviet Union and sent back to Canada after being detained for a short time in Moscow. She returned to Canada at just 28 years old, and went on to publish 22 articles recounting her journey.

In addition to the articles she wrote about the Holodomor, Rhea Clyman continued reporting from Europe during the onset of World War II. She documented the rise of Hitler, growing antisemitism, and the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland. She later returned to Canada and eventually lived in the United States until her death in 1981.

Antisemitism is prejudice, discrimination, or hatred toward Jewish people because of their religion, culture, or ethnic identity.

Clyman’s reports remain an important record of one of the 20^th century’s most devastating human tragedies. They provide firsthand evidence of a government-orchestrated famine that many Western journalists failed to report accurately.

In 2008, the Canadian government passed legislation to officially declare the Holodomor an act of genocide. The government stated that the Holodomor was deliberately planned and executed in order to systematically destroy the Ukrainian people’s aspirations for a new and independent Ukraine. Countries throughout Europe, Central and South America, as well as Australia have made similar declarations.

Access the following Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (“Holodomor”) Memorial Day Act     (Opens in a new window)  to explore the Act established in Canada to officially recognize Holodomor Memorial Day and to recognize the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33 as an act of genocide.

Canada now commemorates the Holodomor each year on the fourth Saturday of November. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) also designated two days in the school year when the Holodomor is commemorated in schools across Canada annually. They are:

• Holodomor Memorial Day in Schools (on the fourth Friday of November)
• Holodomor Remembrance Day in Schools (on April 16th during Genocide, Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention month)

In recent years, there have been significant efforts made by the Ukrainian community to ensure the Holodomor is remembered in Canada through public education, memorials, and official recognition by local and national politicians. These acts of remembrance help shape Canadian understanding of history, identity, and citizenship. 

Complete the following check for understanding to determine where you are in your learning. Select the correct answer, then press the Check Answer button to see how you did.

Task: Using information from this learning module and additional research, explore how Rhea Clyman’s reporting on the Holodomor helped shape historical memory, Canadian understanding of Ukrainian identity and heritage, and connections to current events in Ukraine.

In your response, be sure to answer the following questions:

Be sure to explain your thoughts and support your responses with examples.

Consider presenting your response in one of the following formats:

• opinion news article
• digital or hand-drawn storyboard
• digital slide deck or museum display