Where did you hear this? Its getting harder and harder to believe that we have a free press and not a wholly-owned one. Blogs are great, but Disney/ABC broadcasts in almost all American homes, which makes what they are doing so much more insidious.

Bushco delenda est

Appears that the 9/11 mockudrama is simply a political gift provided to the GOP by ABC/Disney. Its value must run into the many millions of dollars. It dovetails very nicely with all the other terror hype the GOP has been spewing in the past month or so, from the bumbling Miami terror squad that couldn't find its rearend with both hands, to the London affair, to the appease-the-fascists rants more recently. We've just seen the beginning of it, and the 9/11 mockudrama is the latest wave. If you're thinking of taking your family to Disneyland or buyng a Disney video, you might want to think twice. Maybe you might want to let Disney know how you feel and how their actions in rolling out this GOP propaganda are going to affect your purchasing decisions.

Thinkprogress.org has info on the commercial-free airing and the free distribution, together with ABC's attempts to get schoolteachers to have their students view this 9/11 mockudrama and discuss it in class.

This is the same Disney that refused to release Fahrenheit 9/11 as it was considered "too political" and "too close to an election".

Hypocrisy! All this does is further reinforce that the corporate media is part of the right-wing propaganda machine.

Its time to return to the Fairness Doctrine and the old rules of media competition - multiple media outlets in each and every market. The broadcast frequencies which are public assets need to be re-licensed with strict guidelines for fairness and truth in advertising.

If you want an alternative, check this free documentary out. It's 90 minutes long and does a fairly solid job, albeit a bit flawed, of exposing how and why the U.S. government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. It's appropriately titled "Loose Change" and can be found at Google's new 'video' link on the mainpage.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5946593973848835726&q=Loose+Change&hl=en

Wasn't it Clinton who helped push through the last media consolidation??? Poetic justice it would seem. Democrats never learn to quit trusting and working with Republicans. They will get stabbed in the back. All I can say is one step at a time. Lieberman is first, many more to come. Add in Dean's 50 state strategy electing netroot candidates and, soon, we will take our country back. The Republicans and the DLC Dems have no clue how fed up real middle Americans are. They will find out.

I'm sorry, but fighting loony bullshit with amateur loony bullshit is, well, dumb. Loose Change is nothing more than conspiracy speculation in the Who Shot JFK/Faked Apollo category. Not even the physics are accurate.

I suspect the broadcast now indicates that Disney is scared. They've had a good run until now with the easily-bribed GOP, and are afraid of losing Congress.

Living in my little cocoon with ABC NBC and CBS used as backround noise rather than for actual TV viewing while I read or browse the internet, I can't tell how often ABC advertises this program.
When Michael Jackson had an anti-Semitic line in a song it was rapidly curtailed by a blurb in Variety. Recordings were pulled off the shelves and the wording in the song changed.
The TV movie depicting Reagan as senile was forced to cable.
How sad "Liberals" are so weak that an obviously flawed TV movie cannot be stopped from airing on a major network.
One response post airing would be to point out errors in the mockumentary using news reports from ABC News itself and posting them in full page ads in NYT, WP LA Times, etc. as "What the mockumentary left out".
It would force an ABC response and possible review of info by their MSM news rivals. While less effective than keeping the garbage from a major network airing, it might be somewhat helpful.
If the GOP succeeds in maintaining political control, look forward to a war against Iran, continued assaults on middle class wages, further attacks on Constitutional freedoms and worsening of the depth of poverty.
The final truth is if "Kansas" views the film and is convinced to vote for the status quo based on a mockumentary, then the ability to seriously question government has been lost by a majority of the country and the wingnuts have won the audience.
Hopefully even people who view the film will still wonder if the current GOP isn't inept and ham-handed and that divided government (meaning more opposition = more Dems) is a better alternative providing some check and balance.

The final truth is if "Kansas" views the film and is convinced to vote for the status quo based on a mockumentary, then the ability to seriously question government has been lost by a majority of the country and the wingnuts have won the audience.

I say let ABC run it...after November 7th. 

 Great Idea!  One question:  Who is going to "make" them wait, or "let" them run it?  Too bad we don't really HAVE a liberal media.

Jan Knaus

September 6, 2006 Alive and Well and Living in Pakistan? Filed under: Bush Administration — maha @ 9:19 am

Last night ABC’s Brian Ross reported that Osama bin Laden has been offered sanctuary in Pakistan. This morning ABC and other news sources are denying this report. You can watch the video of Brian Ross’s original report here. You can draw your own conclusions about who got to whom. Whether bin Laden was involved in the deal or not, Pakistan did make a deal with the Taliban that amounts to a one-finger salute at President Bush. Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press report:

Go to Mahablog for the all the links.

This amounts to a campaign contribution from Disney to the GOP.

If Democrats win congress they should have congressional hearings.

What I want to know is what kind of favors have Disney been getting from the Bush regime. Such as; tax breaks, regulatory favors, FCC sweetheart deals, govt contracts.

There should be a full disclosure of any favors Disney has received from the Bush regime.

"How sad "Liberals" are so weak that an obviously flawed TV movie cannot be stopped from airing on a major network."

This is the big problem for Democrats.

The corporate media fears the GOP. They don't fear the Democrats.

Corporate media especially fear the Right Wing Noise Machine. Which is why they treat Rush, Coulter and the rest of the unhinged screamers as legitimate part of political discourse in this country.

Reporters are terrified of being accused of "liberal bias". They don't fear accusations of "conservative bias".

Part of it is due to the fact that corporations are run by republican CEOs and their interest lies with the GOP.

Part of it is due to the Right Wing Noise Machine the GOP has built. Reporters fear being demonized by the Noise Machine. There is no comparable Democratic Noise Machine to exert equal influence.

Part of it is also due to the fact that GOP politicians scream and throw temper tantrums when they perceive any kind of bias or even when they don't. They trash the media as a strategic move.

Democratic politicians on the other hand politely ask "please don't hit me".

So it is not surprising that journalists are terrified of angering the GOP and treat Dems like an abused wife.

I didn't suggest it was. My point was that Murdoch has shown that support of rightwing politics on the one hand and news that appeasl to the lowest common denominator can mean huge bucks.

And if the purpose of the Primetime episode wasn't titillation, then what was it? Serious social commentary?

I asked the question.

On the blog for the ABC "docudrama" I asked, in effect, "what is the purpose of this movie if it is not factual?" My comment was sent sent to the moderator for approval and rejected (I assume, since comments submitted since then have appeared). Not to sound righteous, but I think this question is the most dangerous one to this film because it a) does not require viewing the movie to ask it and b) the only answers can be entertainment or propaganda. Either of those answers are unsettling and offensive. I strongly hope sufficient pressure is put on Disney to shelve this movie (like the successful campaign against Sinclair Broadcasting's John Kerry "documentary" two years ago.

I found this at Huffington Post, but couldn't get the link to work:

September 6, 2006 House Democrats Demand Accuracy in ABC 9/11 Film

 Representatives John Conyers, Jr., John Dingell, Jane Harman, and Louise Slaughter today called on ABC to fix the inaccuracies in its mini-series The Path to 9/11, before its scheduled airing on September 10th and 11th. Read the letter:

Mr. Robert A. Iger

President and CEO

The Walt Disney Company

 Dear Mr. Iger: We are advised that ABC is scheduled to air a two-part mini-series entitled "The Path to 9/11" on September 10 and September 11. While we have not yet seen this program, news reports raise serious questions about its accuracy. Therefore, we request that the inaccuracies described herein be addressed immediately and that the program be thoroughly reviewed and revised for accuracy before it airs.

 They go on to cite 2 examples which have been directly disproved by testimony and also law.  Didn't want to print the whole letter, but at least this should get some attention.

 Jan Knaus

Re: Republicans now control all media.

All media. Even Mother Jones, the Nation, the gay media, and the internet? Is Tpmcafe now a GOP blog site?

"Progressives/Liberals have to be more aggressive and have talking points ready when confronted with wingnut blather by MSM news reporters."

Yes and Democratic politicians have to be more aggressive challenging the corporate media. But that won't be enough. Progressives/Liberals have to build their own Noise Machine. That is what the GOP did and it has been very effective.

Journalists are driven by one force above all else; fear. Sure, they are also driven by a desire for money and power but fear is the #1 motivator. They fear being targeted by the Right Wing Noise Machine. They fear being accused of liberal bias. They fear offending the corporate higher ups. The fear factor like a magnet pushes them to to the right. There is no comparable fear magnet on the Democratic/Liberal side.

Democrats need to inspire fear in journalists. Just like the GOP does now. They can't do it pleading "please don't hit me". Dem politicans need to aggressively challenge the corporate media. They also need to build their own Noise Machine.

Saint Fnordius

"Amateur loony bullshit?"

Maybe. But I would wager you are a fan of Michael Moore's "Professional looney bullshit."

And that worked so well for the Southern Baptists...

I've seen the film you mention, but by your comment history I now realise that you were merely troll-fishing. You were hoping somebody would support that little movie that doesn't even understand the physics behind why the hole in the Pentagon was shaped like it was.

Looking at your comments elsewhere, you seem to be a pretty ardent Bush supporter. One of the "never question our Dear Leader" dittoheads. One of those who want to "win" an argument, and aren't really interested in actual discussion. Therefore I feel pretty foolish for treating you with even a modicum of respect.

I guess I'll just have to mentally killfile you from here on out.

but they were found in Iraq!!......it was 1991, wasn't it??