Isn't that the point of 1984? The protagonist is unable to make a physical record, and so must trust his brain retain any proof of the government's wrongdoing.

Isn't that the point of 1984? The protagonist is unable to make a physical record, and so must trust his brain retain any proof of the government's wrongdoing. However, the brain is a poor vessel for this - it can be manipulated and tortured to discount information. And so, Winston ends up loving Big Brother. Paper and bits are what we rely upon; there is a reason eye-witness reports are trusted so little in comparison to physical evidence.