ABC Issues Response to Complaints!!!

Dear Acmejack,
I have received several emails concerning the dramatization, "The Path to 9/11" and our network, ABC, has issued the following response for your review and consideration:

Statement from an ABC Spokesperson
The Path to 9/11 is a dramatization, not a documentary, drawn from a variety of sources, including the 9/11 commission report, other published materials and from personal interviews. The events that lead to 9/11 originally sparked great debate, so its not surprising that a movie surrounding those events has revived the debate. The attacks were a pivotal moment in our history that should never be forgotten and its fitting that the discussion continues.

The following disclaimer will air throughout the movie:
The following movie is a dramatization that is drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report and other published materials, and from personal interviews. The movie is not a documentary. For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression."

Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns.

Respectfully,

Patti C. Smith
President and General Manager
KVUE-TV

We get a disclaimer say it is is Bullshit.

Their made up storm crap with folks in harms way are so chessy, but I get sucked in. THIS "mockumentary" is downright DANGEROUS.

ABC AND THIS MOVIE ON SEPT 10 & 11 ANYWAY!! SEND A VERY STRONG MESSAGE!!

And be sure to let them know as well.

no commercials. Call it a boycott or an unwillingness to patronize stupidity, I'm putting ABC on parent guard, which means it just won't appear on my TV anymore, and I won't be doing business with many of their advertisers.

Basically I said I hope you don't air this garbage, because I would like for my kids to see Disney World. However, if you do, they'll never visit a Disney theme park on my dime, my TV will never be on ABC and my car will never go to a theater to see a Disney movie.

I also said there are millions of parents like me. Think about it.

let's "DU" Ray Taliafero and Bernie Ward and Karel and Jonathan Rothmann and RJ Rurimun.

Ranting at ABC-Disney. Bernie is on our side.

No I am not out of my mind? I just know how to use Google and find KGO's affiliations, and I am a little bit familiar with the FCC'd on line data base.

were aware.

but then I bought a CCRane radio wuth a super antenna (I'm in the South Bay) - now I listen to AAR (altho I miss Mike Malloy).

But I was flipping between KGO and KQKE to pick up Bernie.

We've got to draw the line somewhere, we will not stand for this fascist propaganda!

see this excellent post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

they bloody well know most of the audience who aren't in the know will swallow it as gospel.

pig media.

people are still going to believe it, regardless.

You can compare it to the Da Vinci Code. It's fiction, sure, based with some known facts. But it's still fiction. How many people freakin' believe that the Da Vinci Code is "real"? Enough for some one to write another book "debunking" it.

Why is it so important to air this propaganda right before the midterms? If they had one shred of decency they would at least run their bullshit after November.

and it's precisely because of the mid terms, ABC decided to come out with this propaganda bullshit just to effect the elections. They enabled Bush to power to begin with, they are as complicit as he in lying to the American People and see no reason to turn back now.

They are a disgrace!

Its pure fiction and should be advertized as such.

Let's not let it end there. The disclaimer is a start but it doesn't go far enough in getting through to less thoughtful minds that the blame for the attacks on 9/11 does not belong on Clinton.

we need to keep the pressure on

if they want to run it as a piece of (RW indulgent) fiction, fine, but there's nothing documentary about it.

for letting Osama go, among other things...Something that never happened.
If they want drama, they needn't politicize the event...and politicize it in an absolutely false and partisan way.

"dramatization of a real event", and that's it.

The ABC disclaimer for this piece of garbage is complete bullshit.

What kind of crap is that?

They only care about Ratings and $$$$$$$$.

Given the MORON factor in this country, I'm sure they realize that no matter what the outcry, there will be plenty of MORONS who will watch this religiously, and believe it as FACT, not fiction.

There's strength in numbers. Unfortunately, there are enough MORONS in the U.S. to make it viable programming.

Of course, I won't watch it. But I'm irrelevant since I seldom watch the GARBAGE passing as MSM TV these days.

disclaimers throughout the movie. Pretty soon it will be "Let's forget the whole thing".

Having a raft of congresspeople sending letters doesn't make them feel too confident either.

But not to your own set of facts, ABC. When you use real people as the backing for fictional events, you have an obligation to get it right. And when those real people, many of whom are still alive, object to the depiction of events concerning them that never happened, you have an obligation to get it right.

Or is "oh, it's just a dramatization" now license for libel? ABC is on prior notice that they're about to broadcast falsehoods; will they have a "we didn't know" defense should someone bring suit?

after this sack of wingnut-shit hits the fan. Clinton and Berger will almost certainly sue, IMO.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/disneyabc-flat-...


Disney/ABC flat-out REFUSED to provide Pres. Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Sandy Berger copies of its 9/11 "docudrama", tho GOP bloggers got copies
by John in DC - 9/06/2006 07:08:00 PM


Interesting behavior for a company that has a lot of business before Congress - a Congress that is expected to turn Democrat (at least in one house, maybe both) in about 8 weeks.

Republican bloggers, Disney/ABC is happy to give them complementary advance copies of its error-riddled TV show about September 11. But when the actual people slandered in the tv show ask to see advance copies, Disney/ABC says no.

I have a law degree. And you enter very interesting legal territory when someone expresses concern about the veracity of your TV show and you refuse to provide them with a copy in advance, yet provide copies to others. Okay, I'm being too polite. Albright wrote Disney/ABC and told them, flat-out, that the malfeasance they attribute to her is absolutely untrue. Disney/ABC has refused to even respond to her. (Sandy Berger wrote Disney/ABC as well.)

AGAIN, as I said in another thread, keep contacting ABC, and keep bitching at them...
......

I think you'll see a major legal bloodletting that will bring down the ABC/Disney power structure--which would be fine with me. They've obviously gone wingnut, in the same general mode as Joementum.

Bill Maher's POLITICALLY INCORRECT show.

since he is being personally maligned in this film. If Clinton decided to fight this disgusting corporation for false slander (AGAIN) then maybe we would see some action. Otherwise, it would probably be ho-hum, business as usual. What else is new?

without commercials?

and i am going to make sure it is not

This is how the Thugs ALWAYS work: they find a way to make spreading the propaganda turn a profit for them.

as his "new" ads and armstrong and other journalists. i am still waiting for the money to be followed

Here is the contact form for them:

http://scholastic.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/scholastic.cfg/p...

told them abc is coming clean. are they going to. keep it out of my kids schools

If you read the pdfs, you will have a coniption fit. I just about did.

Making stuff up out of whole cloth. Lying. Period.

They said "The events that lead to 9/11 originally sparked great debate, so its not surprising that a movie surrounding those events has revived the debate."

Since 1990, Smith has served as general manager of KVEO-TV (NBC) in Brownsville, Texas. From 1989 until 1990, Smith served as operations manager, news director and local-regional sales manager at KGBT-TV (CBS) in Harlingen, Texas. She held the positions of promotions director and local-regional
account executive at KBVO-TV (UPN) in Austin from 1986 until 1989. From 1983 until 1986, Smith worked in new business development at Austin CableVision. Smith began her career in 1975 at KTBC-TV (FOX) in Austin, where she served as director of broadcast facilities until she became general manager of Austin Productions in 1981. A graduate of the University of Texas, Smith holds a bachelor of science degree in communications.

Are all PR people bad? No. Truth is that Patti is passing on the company line. No need to bash her, she is just doing her job. She didn't write, produce, direct, star in or even green light this film. Let's be civil please. No need to bash individual employees.

so "good" or "bad" depends upon how one feels about hucksters.
She's a tool.

Get a grip. Not all PR people are bad.

And I'll tell you exactly where your crappy, hateful voicemail will get you......the delete button. I have to take complaints from people all the time and I can tell you that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

For all you know, Patty volunteers for Dems in her off time. How about being a little less judgemental towards people and professions you know nothing about?

Sorry "It's just my job" does not cut it. Maybe all PR people do suck? This one does, that much is true.

at it), but I had an epiphany and decided I would rather devote my limited hours on this planet to something I considered to be more substantial.
Just where did I say it was innately "good" or "bad"? It's not as I said something such as "Well, Josef Goebbels..." Nope, not at all.
Judging from your near-hysterical defense of the profession, I would wager that I have touched a nerve with someone who is still in the business. To each their own.
A flack is a flack is a flack.

And I'm sorry, but the DU response towards these average people working at Disney, and in PR in particular, is kind of pathetic.

Why is it so hard to understand that a lot of these people might actually be Dems? And you are calling and yelling at them for decisions their boss makes? You can call, make a point, and still remain human to those people. Otherwise you piss off people that might actually be able to impact the overall decision and you come out looking like the bad guy. Is it so wrong that I want to take a human approach? Again, if you want to send a vitriolic message, it will be dismissed. Make a rational point and respect who you are talking to and you will get much further.

and a PR flack like Smith. I have nothing but sympathy for the former.

peace,
mitchum

individual/tool of said corporation, we should be just fine.

What ABC is doing is WRONG...

Supposedly they are going to air a statement shortly (Thursday afternoon)....

we don't lie and hate America.

Could she have said "a dramatization based on conservative interpretations of the Clinton administration and on totally fictional events disputed by key witnesses?" Hell no.

are bad.

They should refuse to be part of the machine. If they won't, they must accept the blame for their actions.

Imagine a world in which the majority of people DID boycott the most evil of companies and their actions.

What do you think would happen?

someone had to say it

not to mention that whole campaigning for Nader in 2000 thing...

That being said, "Horses" is a brilliant album. And Patti is the only woman who ever convincingly rocked like the real deal. Great. I will probably start ANOTHER flamewar with that last statement. It's true, though.

back away from it without losing more face. They know god damned well that that scene is bogus & they will have to defend it for years to come if they air it.

Debatable my arse!!!

They need to change their marketing of the movie is this is not a documentary.

And many include information from published information,witnesses and other sources.Many contain recreations and representative characters and dialogue.What they DO NOT contain are easily provable LIES already refuted by an eyewitness to one of their scenes.This is not a documentary,as they now admit and neither is it a "dramatization"-dramatization is a technique of enhancing ones understanding of and appreciation for the facts of a historic event-call your piece what it is, ABC, a propaganda film by a republican willing to lie to shift blame from the current regime...

Cowardly fucking corporate whores! Lying bastards!

These propagandists seem to think that most people are stupid enough to turn on the basis of the changing of a single word, morphing "documentary" into "dramatization".

In my scary moments, I entertain the notion that maybe they are RIGHT.

So has it ALWAYS been.

No Republican has ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

Warning: This is a docudrama made to look like a documentary, but is not actually based in fact, although we realize that most people in the audience will recognize as fact.

It's blended together to confuse and stupefy, and they're admitting it throughout the show. Incredible.

..excellent work acmejack.., and it is a start, but it seems as if they don't really care about the facts, they are about profits and appeasement (per randi's show yesterday)..

as well as boycotting advertisers and our emails to the network and affiliates, it seems as though a bigger hammer is needed... probably not in time to prevent the airing of this mockudrama, but to certainly make the "deciders" and their boards of directors to sit up and take notice...

the fundies are always complaining to the FCC, so is there a basis for a complaint here? does anyone here know?

as the FAA's and DOD's and WH's

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Does ABC have a contract with Ptech/GoAgile ? It would be interesting to find out...

sure, not far enough, but "a" victory.

Keep pushing everybod. Remind them of the Reagan movie which was also "fictionalized" and yet removed from broadcastbecasue of complaints about its accuracy. Why not this?

documentary. letting them know it is not to be used as a tool in my boys education. no dramatization as an educational tool.

network to air a program that might sway the electorate one way or another, especially since it is "fiction." Not good enough - I'm still boycotting ABC and its sponsors.

If they have any decency they'd pre-empt it with paid programming. Sell the space to Ronco or Oxywhatsit. Probably make them more money than airing this "docu-drama".

Mark.

This answer is 95% bullshit, but it shows that they're feeling the heat.

If they told the truth, they'd say it's a Neocon Fantasyland fairy tale, designed and presented as propaganda.

Every media/entertainment business felt they could exploit 9/11 for profit and gain not to mention the coveted ratings?


What is the motivation? Right next to the Nov primaries not to mention a failing war with little support (do you hear war drums beating again?)

Why not wait 10, 15 yrs before they start exploiting tragedy?

It just has Republican Election conspiracy written all over it!!! SEE the people TRUST us to run the country and keep it safe. Although it happened in their watch, although we are now the most hated country in the world and even more vulnerable then before.

When they win an election without diebold, then I'll buy into the bullshit.

It essentially says that the whole movie is all basically true, and that they maybe made one guy's hair red instead of brown, and maybe the guy that handed Condi the Danish was actually a female, and you know, stuff like that, but the rest of it is TRUE, Scout's Honor!

in a favorable light and Clinton in an unfavorable light... Dramatized, just another way to lie about the facts.....

http://www.democrats.org/a/2006/09/a_despicable_ir.php

A Despicable, Irresponsible Fraud

(DNC Executive Director, Tom McMahon, sent the following email to Democrats across the country today.)
Dear Fellow Democrat,

Does a major national broadcast network want to stain itself by presenting an irresponsible, slanderous, fraudulent, "docu-drama" to the American public?

Not if you and I have the last word -- but either way, we're about to find out.

The ABC television network -- a cog in the Walt Disney empire -- unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new "docudrama" called "The Path to 9/11". ABC has thrown its corporate might behind the two-night production, and bills it as a public service: a TV event, to quote the ABC tagline, "based on the 9/11 Commission Report".

Keeping the pressure on!



Go back and tell them it's not good enough!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

But let's screw them to the wall and make them print a retraction. When you are alerted in advance that you are printing or broadcasting a falsehood, it's your DUTY to fix it. If they put in the part about troops in Afghanistan, knowing it is false, and the WP, knowing it is false, they are really fucking up.

their statement to give their movie legitimacy.

They know many people will see THAT PART of the statement and ASSUME the movie is true.

You would think that at least HALF of the 9/11 commission would SPEAK UP and object to BEING USED in promoting a movie containing half-truths and manipulated information. Has anyone asked them?

telling them my children are not to be taught by dramatization. abc came clean, would they?

What it should say:

"although inspired by actual events, the following is fiction and should not be confused with actual documentaries about 9-11"

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They're running it commercial-free, so we just go after ALL OF THEM.

They're either "with us or against us."

I don't have time to do it right now, but somebody step up to the plate for us on this.

Thank you in advance.

Serious question here.

But had they aired "Fahrenheit 9-11", they'd have had far greater justification for doing so, and it would have required far fewer "weasel words". I still have that Micharl Moore DVD somewhere, and I'll start searching for it. Since I don't watch TV anyhow, I'll watch THAT in place of that bogus docu-drama.

pnorman

Remember that they only air "dramatizations" that favor the neo-con agenda. Propaganda machines.

PLEASE print out and send to your children's school personnel: Social Studies Chairperson; Principal; Superintendent.

http://content.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=...

It's all propaganda! It really frightens me. I teach high school and there is NO WAY I am teaching this to my kids. NEVER.

quiet about THIS!

Here is the link to send Scholastic a message:

http://scholastic.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/scholastic.cfg/p...

tonight. and about the connection with scholastic. really disappointed. talking to sons at table they are to let me know if gets into school before i do. and that doesnt sound like scholastic at all. they are very oriented to teaching our kids.

As both a parent and someone who grew up reading Scholastic magazine I am disappointed that Scholastic has joined ABC TV in its attempt to re-write history through its docu-drama, "Path to 9/11."

I'm angry that U.S. school children will be taught using material gathered by an ultra right-wing conservative screenwriter - Cyrus Nowrasteh - who, as an avowed conservative has spoken on a panel titled "How conservatives Can Lead Hollywood's Next Paradigm Shift."

It seems the fundamentalist, neocon, imperialistic Right's mission is accomplished now that its lies and propaganda are allowed to be openly taught in our public schools.

Or do they just want the NCLB money that I'm sure they'll get from the schools?

Nice to see you, Kat!

for children. I looked at some of its other stories about events (such as the Mexico election theft). Repeats all the same right wing points.

Good to see you. Need to get a better email address for you. Did you let your website go?

Yep, I let the site go. I'll PM you with a better email addy.

Kat: Arnie's favorite DUer.

Hope to see you again soon, friend.

AND ABC's own disclaimer.

And I asked how DARE they promote LIES and PROPAGANDA to children.

that they should not allow the Bush administration to revise history.

Up with the truth and down with truthiness!

but maybe they moved it.

out and missed whatever was there. Don't want them teaching my kids a skewed view of history and using propoganda to do it.

come up for me.

http://scholastic.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/scholastic.cfg/p...

I sincerely hope so.

"Page Not Found". Apparently they're running scared.

That would be a sign they're going to cave to the pressure.

http://scholastic.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/scholastic.cfg/p...

Don't forget them!

Now it is using the pretense that it is nevertheless based on "sources" that are supposed to make this Republican Crapfest tolerable or even ethical? Disney/ABC must recognize that a partisan hackpiece about a traumatic national event, that has subsequently been used by Republican parasites to advance their political agenda is not acceptable. It's an attack with a pointed stick on the American people. Why not just run a mini-series on the women in Ken Mehlman's life and call it a look at the life of an important politician?

None of their shows or advertizers are acceptable anymore. We will continue to let them know.

1. Why was ABC previously billing this movie as a factual documentary?

2. Why are they only giving the other side a ten minute rebuttal?

3. Why is Scholastic involved and what purpose do they get distributing this thing to our schools complete with lesson plans?

We have a winner!!

It all makes sense now!

...and sell weapons to radical groups and solicit prostitutes, but oh, it's just a dramatization and not a documentary, so it'll be alright.