Posted on 09/07/2006 4:12:34 PM PDT by Mo1
Senate Democratic leadership threatens Disney with legal and legislative sanctions
by John in DC - 9/07/2006 06:02:00 PM
Read it, then read my analysis of it below:September 7, 2006
The Senate Democratic leadership just threatened Disney's broadcast license. Not the use of the word "trustee" at the beginning of the letter and "trust" at the end. This is nothing less than an implicit threat that if Disney tries to meddle in the US elections on behalf of the Republicans, they will pay a very serious price when the Democrats get back in power, or even before.
Mr. Robert A. Iger
President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521
Dear Mr. Iger,
We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney’s plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation.
The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.
Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, “When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right.”
Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong.
Despite claims by your network’s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree.
Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, “As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission’s findings the way that they had.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as “deeply flawed” and said of the program’s depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, “It’s 180 degrees from what happened.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, “he thought they were making things up.” [MSNBC, September 7, 2006]
Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns.
These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows.
Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings. Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace.
As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, “It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why – so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer.”
Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Byron Dorgan
This raises the stakes incredibly for Disney.
I sent it BEFORE his segment.
Let's see what he does tomorrow.
Any streaming audio...?
He tried to warn Bush in Jan of 2001 but Bush, Cheney would not see him.................puke!
Here is the email I sent to ABC:
Re: The Path to 9/11
By caving to the political whining by impeached former President Bill Clinton, you have proven yourself to be moral cowards who lack the integrity to present anything to the American viewing public other than "reality tv" dreck.
Your decision to give in to the whining of one individual has turned millions of potential viewers off - a decision that will cost ABC millions in advertising revenue.
I hope it's worth it to you.
COWARDS!!!
I think Disney at first attempted to be fair and balance by airing this mini series .. and the Clinton Goons didn't like that idea
Kind of reminds me of the Mob
If there is any justice in this world, she will.
I think BOR tapes around 5pmeastern
Right. O'Reilly had definitely NOT seen this prior to his show tonight.
I'm listening on this station
http://www.1070knth.com/
To all you anti-Bush freepers that want to PUNISH THE GOP by staying home in November, THIS IS JUST A TASTE of the power abuses that will occur if the donks win power. Has 5 years erased your memory of the Clinttons and what power abuses they wielded? Wake Up!
CALLING THE ACLU... HELLOOO... ANYBODY HOME....
(CRICKETS CHIRPING)
Can everybody see what Hillary will do if she gets back to the White House? If she wants to censor ABC, a big time friend, what will she do to us?
He's full of himself.
"To all you anti-Bush freepers that want to PUNISH THE GOP by staying home in November, THIS IS JUST A TASTE of the power abuses that will occur if the donks win power. Has 5 years erased your memory of the Clinttons and what power abuses they wielded? Wake Up!"
BTTT....should be posted on every thread on FR
I seem to remember when the skerry camp made similar threats.
It worked and the Sinclair Broadcasting Company affiliates backed off showing a film made by the Swift Vets and others. I forget the title.
Because it worked then, I expected the dems to repeat their pressure tactics. I never expected them to be so blatant.
You know..none of us on our BEST tinfoil hat days could come up with this turn of events.
They must be taking drugs? Or maybe they're NOT and need to?
I simply can't wrap my mind around this mentality from ELECTED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. From KOS, DU..of course. But these are elected people- pretending to be grown-ups and adults. They are playing fast and loose with the life of this entire nation by these juvenile STUNTS.
The demonrats don't seem to mind when school children all across this nation are taught that homosexual sex is normal and healthy, that after school the kids can get together for group masturbation, that the girls can have an abortion without their parents even knowing about it, that the war in Iraq is wrong and that Bush is evil, that religious conservatives are nutjobs, that republicans are racist, that the world is going to come to an end fast if the republicans stay in charge........................like I keep saying...........It's always a one way street with these people.
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