Senate Democratic leadership threatens Disney with legal and legislative sanctions

americablog.blogspot.com ^ | September 07, 2006 | John in DC

[Mo1]

Senate Democratic leadership threatens Disney with legal and legislative sanctions
by John in DC - 9/07/2006 06:02:00 PM

This letter was sent today by the entire Democratic leadership of the US Senate. This letter is such a major shot across the bow of Disney, it's not even funny. It is FILLED with veiled threats, both legal and legislative, against Disney. US Senators don't make threats like this, especially the entire Democratic leadership en masse, unless they mean it. Disney is in serious trouble.

Read it, then read my analysis of it below:

September 7, 2006

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

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.

This raises the stakes incredibly for Disney.

[prairiebreeze]

A party that is afraid of a movie cannot win.

Tagline material.

;^)

[jrooney]

Please Call. Our Voices Need to Be heard.Toll Free Capitol Phone Number: 1-888-355-3588

Worth an eleventh post -

"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 Clintons and what power abuses they wielded? Wake Up!"

FREE SPEECH trumps spending and immigration!! Vote republican to maintain our rights to the freedom of speech!

[ohioWfan]

One can just as easily explain Jonestown as explain the appeal of the Clintons.

For me it's summed up in one word........demonic.

[nopardons]

bttt

[shield]

LOL...you've got to be kidding...wonder if Disney realizes this????? Someone needs to tell them.

[SoCalPol]

The Dems sound shaky for a party who thinks they are going to take over in Nov.

[jrooney]

sorry about the early repost. Accident.

[onyx]

Where are our 574 SIT IT OUT MEMBERS?

Free Republic Opinion Poll: If Romney, McCain, and Giuliani were the only names on the ballot for the GOP 2008 nomination, whom would you vote for?

Composite Opinion
Giuliani	45.1%		3,124
Romney	28.3%		1,962
Sit it out	21.3%		1,478
McCain	5.3%		366
	100.0%		6,930
Member Opinion
Giuliani	45.0%		1,310
Romney	30.9%		899
Sit it out	19.7%		574
McCain	4.5%		131
	100.1%		2,914
Non-Member Opinion
Giuliani	45.2%		1,814
Romney	26.5%		1,063
Sit it out	22.5%		904
McCain	5.9%		235
	100.1%		4,016

[ More Opinion Polls · Return to Forum ]

[SE Mom]

LittleGreenFootballs has it up now too!

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=22467_Senate_Dems_Threaten_Disneys_Broadcast_License&only

[DaBadGuy]

My email to Charles Schumer:

"Wow, you are actually suing Disney over this?

That is HILARIOUS!"

[mainepatsfan]

Their arrogance is breath taking.

[polymuser]

"Helen Gone Wild"

That is a most disturbing title.

It's the next docudrama.

[onyx]

Likely so.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Yes, I got the info, and I'm going to respond, thanks.

[CFC__VRWC]

I like National Reviews copy of THE LETTER, they highlited the parts that are damning.

Yes, and I especially like NR's comment at the end of the Letter --

Who in the press will stick up for ABC's right to air this miniseries without having its broadcast license threatened?

We're still waiting for the first of you to come forward, DBM lurkers!

[onyx]

I think they sound emboldened, but IMO, they have over reached.

[hoosiermama]

WIll post again:

Contact ABC. Tell them how angry you are! Quote the constitution etc.


http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

[Kieri]

Well, we all know what everyone will be talking about on Fox and Friends tomorrow, eh? ;-)

CBS will probably still be fixated on the Perky Blunder.

[shield]

That's great....they've not advertised it for days on ABC...

[Carolinamom]

"Demonic" explains a lot, doesn't it? It's as if their followers are brain-washed and servants of the Devil. We are truly living in a time of war...a war pitting Good against Evil.