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‘Truth’: Movie Reignites Heated Debate Over ‘60 Minutes II’ Scandal
Variety ^ | October 6, 2015 | By Cynthia Littleton

Posted on 10/07/2015 9:55:23 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee

“Truth” is revisiting a painful chapter for CBS News. The upcoming movie, starring Cate Blanchett as producer Mary Mapes and Robert Redford as Dan Rather, is an unwelcome reminder of past mistakes for several people who lived through the saga of the 2004 “60 Minutes II” report on President George W. Bush’s time in the Texas Air National Guard.

Some who are depicted in the controversial film, which is based on Mapes’ 2005 book “Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power,” are critical of the conclusions drawn by the veteran investigative journalist.

They were hopeful that the picture, which debuts in theaters on Oct. 16, would come and go quickly in limited release. But Blanchett is generating Oscar buzz as a best actress contender for her tour de force performance as the hard-charging producer swept up in a firestorm of partisan politics and media scrutiny of her work.

“It’s astounding how little truth there is in ‘Truth,’” a CBS spokesman said in response to Variety’s inquiry. “There are, in fact, too many distortions, evasions and baseless conspiracy theories to enumerate them all. The film tries to turn gross errors of journalism and judgment into acts of heroism and martyrdom. That’s a disservice not just to the public but to journalists across the world who go out every day and do everything within their power, sometimes at great risk to themselves, to get the story right.”

CBS’ ire and the response from the “Truth” filmmakers and distributor Sony Pictures Classics crystallizes the central debate about the incident that has been re-ignited by the film. Was the problem behind the “60 Minutes II” report an issue of corporate interference with the pursuit of a sensitive story? Or was it journalistic mistakes that compromised the reputation. . .

(Excerpt) Read more at variety.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: fakebutaccurate; hollywood; leftwingnuts; libmyths; rathergate; revisionism
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1 posted on 10/07/2015 9:55:23 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Brad Pitt as Buckhead.


2 posted on 10/07/2015 9:58:40 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
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To: Brad from Tennessee; Buckhead; humblegunner

Justin Beeber as humblegunner.


3 posted on 10/07/2015 10:00:30 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

A movie called ‘Truth’ that CBS says is full of lies.

We have popcorn at the concession stand.


4 posted on 10/07/2015 10:02:33 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Catherine Zeta Jones as every female Freeper.


5 posted on 10/07/2015 10:04:31 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Libs rewriting history despite the fact it was complete b.s.

I guess it was TRUTH but not accurate?


6 posted on 10/07/2015 10:04:34 PM PDT by TigerClaws
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To: Brad from Tennessee

“Blanchett is generating Oscar buzz as a best actress”

The Oscars are such a joke now. Winners are simply rewarded for being politically correct in support of whatever the latest fad is. Suddenly everyone who has played an LGBT whatever is generating Oscar buzz - it’s the IN thing dontcha know. Such courage! The Oscars this year will be an LGBT festival with a huge kudos to “hero” “journalist” Rather. We are trapped in a bizarro world.


7 posted on 10/07/2015 10:05:55 PM PDT by bluejean (The lunatics are running the asylum)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

“debate”

The only debate this reignites
is between Mapes and her sock puppet.


8 posted on 10/07/2015 10:11:39 PM PDT by sparklite2 (Eagles fan after loss to Dallas -- This is the first time I ever saw the "prevent offense".)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

This is how backwards this issue was at the time:

1. We had swift boat guys saying John Kerry was a fraud during the Vietnam War. This was all we knew as voters about John Kerry’s potential ability as a commander in chief. Media ignored or discounted what they said.

2. Meanwhile CBS pulls out bogus memos about Bush’s time as a NG pilot in 1972. But this was irrelevant information for us as voters. We had already seen Bush operate as commander in chief for the previous 4 years. We could make an informed decision based on the his current capability, we didn’t need 30 year old memos to make a decision.


9 posted on 10/07/2015 10:13:16 PM PDT by JohnEBoy
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To: Brad from Tennessee

Debate? What debate? There might be a debate going on in Delusional Dan’s head.


10 posted on 10/07/2015 10:18:32 PM PDT by BBell
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To: Brad from Tennessee
Or was it journalistic mistakes that compromised the reputation

There were no "mistakes." Aside from using obviously forged documents to bolster their case, the CBS postmortem investigation of Mapes' and Rather's account made clear that the central tenet of their presentation was a lie, and they knew it was a lie a along.

By way of fake "evidence," misrepresentations, innuendo, and outright lies, they attempted to convince viewers that Bush was determined to evade service in Vietnam. But Mapes already knew that Bush had in fact volunteered for service in Vietnam, and had been turned down by his commanding officers because his flight experience did not include the newest jet aircraft. Mapes knew that before she "discovered" Bill Burkett. She simply did not care what the truth was.

11 posted on 10/07/2015 10:21:12 PM PDT by FredZarguna (A Kenyan appears to have infiltrated the lumberyard.)
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To: bluejean

The Oscars have been a joke for quite a few years now.


12 posted on 10/07/2015 10:27:36 PM PDT by BBell
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To: Jim Robinson

Pierce Brosnan as Jim Robinson?


13 posted on 10/07/2015 10:29:05 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

14 posted on 10/07/2015 10:29:43 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Jim Robinson

Do we know if we’re (FR) discussed in the movie?


15 posted on 10/07/2015 10:31:12 PM PDT by Aria
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To: Republican Wildcat

PeeWee Herman as Dan Rather.


16 posted on 10/07/2015 10:32:08 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: Republican Wildcat

Or Bozo the Clown


17 posted on 10/07/2015 10:32:46 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: Brad from Tennessee
The producers of Truth had this challenge before them.

"Can we make a bigger fraud of our movie than Rather and Mapes did with their story?"

18 posted on 10/07/2015 10:34:54 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: TigersEye

LOL. Great reply. I wish I remembered how to do that with the letters.


19 posted on 10/07/2015 10:39:09 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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To: Aria

I am trying to remember all the players. I seem to remember a lot of help from Drudge and from PowerLine. I haven’t been to the PowerLine website for years. Are they still around?

Wasn’t that around the time the “pajama media” term started? I wonder if the Internet people will all be wearing PJs.


20 posted on 10/07/2015 10:42:29 PM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
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