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.
They're full of bluster, but they're also cowards.
They'd never have the guts to come on a thread like this and tell people to stay home on election day, now would they?
Actually.........I'd love to have the whole lot of them come here and say there is NO DIFFERENCE between R's and D's, or that we're putting 'party over principle' if we say we're going to vote Republican to keep these Marxist thugs out of power.
If you're lurking out there...... you third party 'purists'...... come out and show your faces, and tell us that WE are not the conservatives.
If there are 9/11 Commission members who object to this series, and I'm assuming that in addition to Richard Ben Veniste, that the group also includes Jamie "The Wall" Gorelick, then they need to present the EVIDENCE that the producers of this series lied in their presentation of events. This blustering of Democrat Senators and opinion pieces in the form of news reports in the NYT ain't gonna cut it.
Sorry. At the request of other Freepers I have continued the post every 50.
It is more than that. If they make any significant cuts, they will have "dead air." Also, the advertisers who already paid for the series they previewed will have Cause to withhold payment (or sue) for ABC not delivering on the content they promised. This could be in the 10s of millions (or more).
The time has been sold and paid for and money advanced. There is no way in heck that they (ABC) will do anything more than an anemic "disclaimer."
These Lefty fools don't understand how the TV business works. Their little tantrum means nothing.
He's not a horse he's a donkey AKA Azz!
Thank you. It's just that this is such a monumentally stupid act on their part that: 1. It's a fraud. 2. They really ARE stupid. or 3. The series is so damming that they had to risk it or cease existing as a viable political party.
The Dems are trying out a new Dem operative. She blew it on H&C. I wonder how many chances she'll get. Kristin Powers is really the only "reasonable" voice they have on FNC.
Are any of those people on the Disney Board even a smidgen conservative?
I agree.
Some good news to wake up with them:
My husband just told me that during the Redskins/Vikings football game on 9/11 at 7:00 p.m. they are handing out 90,000 American flags.
It's being called a 'docu-drama'..........factual basis with dramatic license (dialogue, etc.)
We all know that the CEO of Disney will not file any kind of complaint against the Dem Senators. Any lawyers out there know if we (the American public) can do anything in the legal area to address this???
The damn fools know not what they do.
Please do the same thing.
Backup a site ..... ALEXA - WEB ARCHIVE
I know. It's quite astoundingingly stupid on their part, isn't it?
We all wondered earlier this evening...how can this BE?
Mind boggling. They truly don't get it.
It's the MOVIE, stupid!
LOL -- Good night, young lady!
Thank you :) the truth is simple.
ABC would be FOOOOLS to change or pull this now. This is superb and free advertising for the show.
Of course, the Disney execs might want to watch their backs after it runs....for the rest of their lives.
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