Dear fellow PenDems,
On the 10th and 11th, ABC affiliates (including KOTA) plan to air a "docu-drama" about 9/11 that includes many misleading characterizations and dramatizations, some which are highly biased historical fiction, and some of which are bald fabrications that are known not to reflect the facts--apparently designed to discredit President Clinton's (and by association Democratic) handling of terrorism issues, right before an election where the Republicans are likely to lose control of both houses of Congress.
To make matters worse, ABC/Disney is working with Scholastic to send a DVD of this program to schools, with a study guide, further legitimizing misinformation, propaganda, and outright falsehoods to confuse the American public a few short weeks before the November elections. Many young people shown this DVD in school as a "documentary" will be fed falsehoods that could persist for many years in popular culture, so this is extremely serious.
Democracy in Action is planning some action locally, see the attached email below. PenDems are recommending joining them in voicing our concern and asking KOTA not to show the program.
A good comprehensive summary of the 9/11 "docu-drama" has been developed by Media Matters for America ( http://mediamatters.org). They also provide contact information for Scholastic, ABC, and Disney to let them know that this is not going unnoticed and to urge them not to air the program. (But local action is also very important too, see the info for KOTA below.)
Thanks!
Curtis Price, for the PenDems
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From: "Connie Pich" < connie@makingchange.biz >
Date: September 7, 2006 11:25:18 AM MDT
To: "'Jane Murphy'" < jcmurphy@rapidnet.com >
Subject: Docu-drama on ABC
Jane and Media Committee,
I am calling ABC to tell them NOT to air the 9/11 Docu-drama (Sunday and Monday nights) that blames Pres. Clinton for the 9/11 attacks. I think DIA should consider contacting newspapers and all media to challenge this political manipulation before an election. I think this inappropriate program should be the headline of the media on Sunday and Monday. I would like to have a street protest in front of Kota also if you think it is appropriate.
9/11 is such a painful event for America. It is so very inappropriate to mislead the country about the information from the 9/11 Commission Report. Even the members of the Commission are saying it is not accurate and is inappropriate. We could encourage people to read the 9/11 Commission Report rather than watch is fictionalized program. I hope we do not let this go by unchallenged.
Connie Pich (484-2211) KOTA's number is 342-2000
Update from Connie: ABC/ Disney is responding to the challenges to the docu-drama from individuals and progressive organizations. They are possibly changing the program before it airs. I hope we can get this out to members immediately.
From the New York Times: Days before its scheduled debut, the first major television miniseries about the Sept. 11 attacks was being criticized on Tuesday as biased and inaccurate by bloggers, terrorism experts and a member of the Sept. 11 commission, whose report makes up much of the film's source material.
The six-hour miniseries, "The Path to 9/11," is to be shown on ABC on Sunday and Monday. The network has been advertising the program as a "historic broadcast" that uses the commission's report on the 2001 attacks as its "primary foundation."
From Tom McMahon of the Democratic Party: The miniseries, which was put together by right-wing conservative writers, relies on the old GOP playbook of using terrorism to scare Americans. "The Path to 9/11" mocks the truth and dishonors the memory of 9/11 victims to serve a cheap, callous political agenda. It irresponsibly misrepresents the facts and completely distorts the truth.
ABC is trying to use of the airwaves -- airwaves owned by you and me, and loaned to broadcasters as a public trust -- to slander Democrats and sell a slanderous, irresponsible fraud to the American people, and they're shamefully doing it just weeks away from Election Day.
Update, Saturday
KOTA of course does not have a lot of leeway--they must air this thing if the network tells them to... so be sure and also put pressure on those that put this documentary together: Disney, ABC, and Scholastic--who did a midnight pull of its study guide off the web to fix some concerns but is still on board with this project. Apple Computer also needs to hear that distributing this movie free on iTunes is a disservice to the truth and to the American people. For contact info, visit Media Matters For America and Think Progress.
Also, please sign the petition!
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