Newspaper Claims Moore Altered Front Page

Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | August 1, 2004 | AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Filmmaker Michael Moore's Bush-bashing documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" has apparently upset more than Republicans. The Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington said Friday it sent a letter to Moore and the film's distributor, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., asking for an apology for using what it said was a doctored front page in his movie.

The paper is seeking $1 in damages.

A scene early in the movie shows newspaper headlines related to the contested 2000 presidential election. It includes a shot of The Pantagraph's Dec. 19, 2001, front page, with the prominent headline, "Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election."

The newspaper says that headline never appeared on that day.

The paper said the headline appeared in a Dec. 5, 2001, edition but was not used on the front page. Instead, it was found in much smaller type above a letter to the editor, which the paper says reflects "only the opinions of the letter writer."

"If (Moore) wants to 'edit' The Pantagraph, he should apply for a copy-editing job," the paper said.

Neither Lions Gate nor Moore were immediately available for comment Sunday

[weshess]

You mean Mikhal Moore Lied? who would've thunk it?

[soccermom]

That is irrelevant. Archie Bunker was a big union guy. I realize M*A*S*H was a generally liberal show with such writers a Linda Bloodworth. None of that changes the fact that Kerry is embodies Burns both in his attempts to gain medals he didn't deserve and in the lack of respect he got from his peers.

[soccermom]

Sorry -- that was for another thread!

[IowaHawk]

"Newspaper Claims Moore Altered Front Page"

"...asking for an apology for using what it said was a doctored front page in his movie"

"The newspaper says that headline never appeared on that day"

"The paper said the headline appeared in a Dec. 5, 2001, edition but was not used on the front page"

"the paper says reflects 'only the opinions of the letter writer'"

Oh, this is effing rich. Note to AP: every "claim" by the newspaper is a FACT -- verifiable to anyone who simply looked at the print edition and compared it against Moore's hackjob "documentary." Not a disputable matter of opinion, not some ephemeral debate, not spin. Face it: Moore used PhotoShop and an Avid editor to perpetrate a bald-faced lie.

The difference between the AP and a real news service: a real news service would have dropped all the words bolded above.

[Caesar Soze]

According to MM, pictures speak louder than words, so where are they!?!?!

Right here.

[Elsie]

BOTH of them??????

[Elsie]

And HERE!!

---

Basically, Fahrenheit 9/11 briefly showed a photo of an article from the Pantagraph with the headline "Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election." A piece with that title was indeed published in the Pantagraph, but not on the date shown in the film -- Wednesday, December 19, 2001.

The news was so outrageous that I began to send numerous e-mails to Mr. Flick and the administrators of all the aforementioned websites asking for more information.

On Friday, July 23, Bill Flick wrote another column about this, featuring MooreWatch blogger Jim Kenefick's screen capture of the headline in question, and explaining that while "Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election" was published in the Pantagraph, it was only a letter to the editor and it was from a different date -- 

[skinkinthegrass]

BOTH of them??????

There are more out there...I told a lawyer joke and got jumped, but good. :))

[Elsie]

"If ya can't stand the heat...."

;^)

[Uncle Vlad]

This guy would lie about what he had for breakfast.