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.
Make no mistake about it..Congressional DemocRATS are everybit as dangerous to our way of life as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah etc. They consistently give aid and comfort to our enemies and this is a fine example of restricting free speech & free speech.
Here's my solution: the Bush administration should send the exact same letter, and publicize the fact that it did.
Think about it - the libs would be screaming about "censorship" and "King George," and the cuts would NEVER be made!
The double standard is alive and well.
Reid's as well:
http://reid.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=262624&&year=2006&
No they should not
Chris is calling this slanderous and inflamatory.
I don't remember Wallace being so incensed about the Reagan docudrama, for which he could have used the same argument.
Just is case anybody wonders, I NEVER watch Fox News Sunday anymore because of Chris Wallace's obvious and blantant bias.
they only like freedom of speech when it is favorable to them.
Christ Wallace from FNC sunday was on fox and friends calling the docudrama despicable.
He said he was not going to cover it on Sunday. He urged people not to watch it and hoped the clintonistas WOULD sue.
So now we know the sunday talking head programs are going to boycott covering 9/11.
Oh my gosh...I'll never get thru all those posts but I have to ask...
Who sounds more like terrorists, fascists, censors,and intimidaters???
The democratic party is sounding dangerously similar to the enemy.
I stopped watching FNS a long time ago. Haven't missed it one bit.
I get more out of Brit Hume's show any day of the week.
Are you LISTENING, FNC???
Well, I know the answer to that. I'll just start turning F & F off at 7:30 AM. They've got a real problem with Wallace at Fox.
How about streaming the director's cut on the Internet. Clinton and his cabal need to be exposed for what they are...terrorist enablers.
Self proclaimed "Champions of free speech", crushing free speech with the force of their government credentials.
You got to love it.
ABC should now do a full news story about this letter, and intimidation of free speech by Governments like the USSR and Nazi Germany.
But Fahrenheit 9/11 was perfectly okay with them.
what were these democrats saying about "thereagans"
Guess democrats are now over that whole "its only a movie" concept.
don't forget albright was to told to go forth and deny bill clinton had sex with monica.
ONE GOOD THING: Albright is talking about this docudrama rather than talking to our enemies about how bad the USA is.
Clintonistas distracted again by their master.
ABC has got to know that the ratings for this mini series will be astronomical.
Chris Wallace was a big supporter of Clinton when Clinton first ran back in 92. I clearly remember him tearing down Bush Sr., I will never forget it.
Yesterday, Cavuto asked a high ranking general if we had killed OBL? Thought his reply was telling. He simply said: "Time will tell!"!
With the Pakistani evacuating the Warlords area, it really makes one wonder if Zuck-are-wee's direct line to OBL was followed?????
"Time will tell!"
What a wonderful couple of weeks you'll have. Living in the middle of the State forest, Moose is one animal we don't have around here. But the deer, turkeys etc are plentiful.
Enjoy.
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