Fact Check: U.S. Department of Interior Instructs Reporting of NPS Employees
What We Know
The claim suggests that the U.S. Department of the Interior has directed the public to report National Park Service (NPS) employees for making negative remarks about Americans or failing to praise the natural attributes of the parks. This initiative is purportedly linked to President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."
According to the executive order, signed on March 27, 2025, the purpose is to counter what it describes as a "concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history" (source-1). The order mandates that the Secretary of the Interior ensure that public monuments and descriptions do not "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living" and instead focus on the "greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people" (source-1).
In a memo leaked to NPR, it was reported that the NPS is required to post signage at all sites asking visitors to provide feedback on any information they believe portrays American history or landscapes negatively (source-2). This includes a directive to encourage public participation in identifying content that fails to emphasize the beauty and grandeur of the landscapes (source-2).
Analysis
The executive order indeed establishes a framework that could lead to the public being encouraged to report perceived negative depictions of American history or landscapes. The directive from the Department of the Interior, as outlined in the leaked memo, supports this interpretation by explicitly asking for feedback on content that might be seen as disparaging (source-2).
However, the language used in the executive order and the subsequent directives does not explicitly instruct the public to "report" NPS employees for their comments. Instead, it emphasizes a broader initiative to ensure that historical narratives presented at national parks align with a specific vision of American exceptionalism (source-3).
Critics of this initiative, including the National Parks Conservation Association, have expressed concerns that such measures could lead to the erasure of important historical narratives, suggesting that it poses a threat to the integrity of historical education at national parks (source-5). This concern highlights the potential for bias in how history is presented, which could lead to a sanitized version of events that omits critical perspectives.
The sources used in this analysis vary in reliability. The executive order itself is an official government document, making it a primary source of information (source-1). However, the leaked memo and subsequent news reports, while informative, may carry interpretative biases depending on the outlet's editorial stance (source-2, source-4).
Conclusion
The claim that the U.S. Department of the Interior has instructed the public to report NPS employees for disparaging remarks is Partially True. While there is a directive encouraging public feedback on negative depictions of American history and landscapes, the language does not explicitly call for reporting employees for their comments. Instead, it reflects a broader initiative to reshape how American history is presented at national parks, which raises important questions about historical accuracy and representation.
Sources
- Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History
- New National Park Service signage asks public to flag ...
- Interior Department order calls for site reinstatement, removal of ...
- National Park Service seeks informants to report ...
- New Order Threatens Park Service's Efforts to Protect and Explore ...
- Interior secretary orders signs to flag negative depictions of U.S ...
- Parks Group Responds to Executive Order Targeting ...
- New National Park Rules: Single-Use Plastics Allowed, 'Disparaging ...
