by Justin Sablich, SUNY Cortland
Posted in on Friday, Sep 3
Truth and politics often have trouble co-existing peacefully.
Who and what are people supposed to believe? CNN or Fox News? Hannity or Colmes?
Is there a liberal bias in the media? Is Fox serious in its claims of being fair and balanced? Viewers at home are too busy deciding whom to trust to really digest the issues.
The news in America has a dizzying effect on the people who try to stay informed. For every point made by a Republican, there’s a Democrat with a counter point and vice versa.
When Michael Moore’s “documentary” Fahrenheit 9/11 was released earlier this summer, many Americans had doubts as to whether Moore’s accusations against President Bush were based on facts. Not knowing where to turn, many flipped on the television to find all the major television news stations, in a rare display of unity, joining forces to attack Moore and his movie.
Bill O’Reilly, unsurprisingly, slammed Moore on a nightly basis on Fox. NBC’s Matt Lauer asked all the tough questions in his interview with the filmmaker. And, according to The Village Voice, ABC “ launched a two-pronged attack on the film's accuracy—one that advanced from Good Morning America to World News Tonight—without giving Moore a fair chance to respond to the most damaging claims.” (1)
Why the cold reception? Maybe its because ABC is owned by Disney--the company that refused to release Fahrenheit 9/11. Maybe its because Moore targets the media in his film for its failure to question Bush’s policies on terrorism and the war with Iraq. Maybe Fox News is biased toward the right. Let me rephrase, Fox is extremely biased.
The obvious goal of the mainstream media was to discredit Moore for whatever reason. The massive amount of media attention given to Fahrenheit 9/11 created an enormous buzz and got people talking. The result: $100 million in tickets sold, the most ever for a documentary.
The American people wanted to see for themselves what the hype was all about. Some praised Moore as a true American patriot and others sent him death threats.
Disney chief executive Michel Eisner went to see it and had this to say, "The reason it is a hit is it's entertaining," Eisner said. "I thought it was like going to a rock concert. I loved it, but not in a political (sense)." (2)
People either love it or hate it, but is what they’re loving or hating the truth? Is the anti-Moore media telling the truth or is Moore?
To combat the expected attacks against his film, Michael Moore assembled a team of fact checkers, led by a former member of The New Yorker fact-checking team.
"We have gone through every single word of this film — literally every word — and verified its accuracy," says Joanne Doroshow, a public interest lawyer who is among the fact-checkers.
According to the NY Times, the facts in Fahrenheit 9/11 are solid. Philip Shenon writes, “it seems safe to say that central assertions of fact in Fahrenheit 9/11 are supported by the public record.” (3)
If you don’t want to take their word for it, you can visit Michael Moore’s official website and have a look for yourself. There you will find out where Moore got his information. Each fact from the film is supported by quotes from and links to specific news articles and government hearings.
You will find that President Bush was on vacation 42 percent of the time during his first eight months of office. It is also true that the White House approved planes to pick up members of the bin Laden family and the Saudi Royal family. The entire film is broken down and explained with credible sources backing up the major points of the film. Even the minor points, like the fact that President Bush went to sleep the night of September 10th, 2001 “on a bed made with fine French linens” is proven to be true.
Despite this, the White House’s only response to Fahrenheit 9/11 has been Bush spokesman Dan Bartlett calling it “outrageously false” despite the fact that Bartlett didn’t actually see the movie. He later told CNN, “This is a film that doesn't require us to actually view it to know that it's filled with factual inaccuracies.” (3)
I have no problem with those who object to the way the film is put together. It is one-sided and biased. But let me remind you that Michael Moore has never claimed his film to be a straightforward documentary. In his words, it is an “op-ed” piece. It is an essay put into pictures and sound.
It is his opinion and you can agree or disagree with it. And if Fahrenheit 9/11 is propaganda, it is not nearly on the same level as the Fox News network, which plays in the homes of millions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moore never claimed that his film was fair and balanced as does Fox does with its “news.” And Republicans have every right to make their own movie that defends President Bush and his foreign policy.
The truth is that Michael Moore took facts and used them to support his opinion. Moore has every right as an American to make this movie. And it is the right of anyone who sees the film to disagree with Moore’s opinion. But calling him a liar is a lie itself. And instead of digging up dirt on Moore, the mainstream media should instead focus on why the White House has failed to address the issues brought up in Fahrenheit 9/11.
Sources:
1) Richard Goldstein."Mauling Michael Moore."The Village Voice: June 29th, 2004.
2) "Fahrenheit 9/11, a Hit With Eisner." Associated Press: July 24th, 2004.
3) Philip Shenon."Michael Moore Ready for His Close-up."NY Times: June 20th, 2004.
DESIGNER: Heather Cheetham, New Media Design, SUNY Cortland, USA
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