It’s not really “deleting.”
It’s just “substituting” one thing for another.

As explained on the trusted photographs page, TTG is based on “what the camera lens saw,” not on “what the photographer wishes the camera lens had seen.”

Four written examples
of how “deleting” something always means “adding” something else:

1. “Deleting” the depiction of airplane contrails or overhead power lines means adding a piece of sky that the viewer of the photo will see even though the camera did not see it.

2. “Deleting” the depiction of litter and debris from a photo of a lawn means adding green grass that the viewer of the photo will see even though the camera did not see it.

3. “Deleting” depictions of skin blemishes or tattoos means adding clear skin that the viewer of the photo will see even though the camera did not see it.

4. “Deleting” the depiction of graffiti on a building means adding non-graffitied bricks or siding that the viewer of the photo will see even though the camera did not see it.