ABC has "news" story up trying to link Michael Moore with suicide bombers

[Bjorn Against]

I have included this information in a couple other posts but they sank, so I hope this time the word will get out.

I was searching for an article about Disney's refusal to distribute Farenheit 9/11 a couple years back, but when I did a google search I accidently slipped across this piece on ABC's website disguised as a legitimate news article which attempts to link Michael Moore with suicide bombers.

Read it and you will be pissed.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2328531

Remember we are not just concerned with "Path to 9/11", rather our main concern is the strong right-wing tilt of ABC in general. Look at their radio line up, look at their one-hour John Stossel specials, and look at this blatant smear job on Michael Moore.

We must make it clear that the "Path to 9/11" is not the first time ABC has shown a clear Republican agenda, they are no better than Fox News.

Read my two other posts on this for more.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2818052&mesg_id=2818052
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2816801&mesg_id=2816801

[AX10]

1. Boycott ABC!

[DemInDistress]

2. I will.. and never again go to DisneyWorld.. Been there 5 times..nt

[Glorfindel]

3. This is important information; thanks for posting it!

When (sooner rather than later, I pray) the Democrats take Congress again, reinstating the Fairness Doctrine for broadcasting should be one of their first priorities. All this foul rePuke propaganda disguised as "news" is sickening, yet I fear the majority of the people accept it at face value. What a shame. :kick:

[anitar1]

4. I especially loathe John Stossel. He is such a liar.

I have not watched 20/20 for years and have written to ABC over the years complaining about some of their programming. Of course , it does no good. But as of yesterday, I will never watch ABC again, ever. Nor will I have anything to do with Disneyland ect. My options continue to shrink. CBS lost me with Katy.I seem to have developed the habit of watching the tube very little--except for PBS, HGTV and the cooking channel.My set is getting old and I may opt out when it dies. I get my news online.Oops--forgot KO--love him.I read a book years ago titled , i believe," 7 Reasons For The Elimination of Television ". There are more than 7 reasons now.

[NVMojo]

5. Holy Shit! IT's the bush liar's club!

[Hissyspit]

6. Earlier today the ABCNews page had only ONE article about "Path" up

The headline was of a conservative saying that the mini-series was correct.

The only other thing I could find was the "Political Punch" blog with a statement from an UNIDENTIFIED former CIA officer that the mini-series was accurate.

[Triana]

7. Well the writer of the article has an apropos name:

Alister Bull

Indeed...

[onenote]

8. its a reuters' story

google it...you'll find a slew of news outlets that carried it. Stick to fighting P2911 -- don't bring up stuff that isn't really ABC.

[Seabiscuit]

10. Not only that, the story does NOT "link" Moore to terrorists.

It merely discusses an hour-long movie made by someone in Iraq which contains some stolen scenes from Michael Moore's "Farenheit 9/11".

[Bjorn Against]

14. I would suggest you read up on the methods of propaganda

By mentioning Moore's name in the headline about a militant group they are linking Moore to the terrorist in the readers minds.

Sure if you read the article it never directly says there is a link, but Bush also never directly said Iraq was linked to Al Qaeda. He just talked about the two in conjunction with each other to create the impression of the link.

This uses the same propaganda technique.

On edit: To add one more point I would like to point out that it never says which scenes of Moore's film were used. Remember a very large part of his film was newsreel footage.

[onenote]

15. and its reuter's headline

[Seabiscuit]

20. I know there was a cheesy attempt at propaganda, but it didn't quite

accomplish, even with its sleazy wording of the headline, what I would call any real suggestion of a "link" (i.e., relationship) between between Moore and the suicide bombers.

I've seen far, far worse forms of media propaganda out there.

I agree about the sloppy writing - the article gives no clue which parts of the Moore film were used in the Iraqi film. Most of the Moore film was merely Moore's commentary on background newsreal footage, as you pointed out.

As the other poster pointed out, it's merely a reprint of a Reuters story with a new headline.

This is not the kind of piece that gets me in a tizzy. I can't imagine Michael Moore's exactly concerned about it either.

[Tiggeroshii]

26. Bush did directly say there was a link between Iraq and 911

This is the almost the exact quote, I could direct you to the transcript if you don't believe me. "I implied there was a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda because there IS a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda."

[Bjorn Against]

27. I am sorry we both worded our arguments wrong...

What I meant to say is that Bush never claimed a link between the 9/11 attacks and Iraq, he has however said there is an Al Qaeda presence in Iraq which is true but misleading.

He has NEVER directly linked Iraq and the 9/11 attacks however, he just used weasel words to try and imply such a link.

That is the same thing the author of this article is doing with Moore.

[Bjorn Against]

11. ABC is running the story on their website

Read the links I post to and you will see other quotes I have from ABC directly (not Reuters) saying such things as "Sean Hannity is the hero of the working class".

And have you ever watched John Stossel?

Have you ever looked at their radio lineup? Hannity, Dobson, Elder, and Limbaugh. Yet they have nothing to speak of in the way of progressive comentators.

If we want to truly fight ABC we have to go after them for everything, if we don't then what happens once this "Path to 9/11" fiasco is over? How are we able to maintain a boycott if we just leave it at that, how long would a boycott last if there was nothing more we were asking for? No we want the world to know ABC is a propaganda network.

[onenote]

16. they run reuters stories on their website, yes.

And its a three week old story that isn't in the current reuter's headline section of the abc news website.

[creeksneakers2]

9. I'm very happy to read that you are going after Disney

for all its fascist felonies. Both ABC and Disney should be known as the companies who through their radio network propaganda have divided our nation and polarized it. They've earned a reputation worse than Faux and its time that they were given it.

[CarlVK]

12. Your topic line is misleading

as much as I looathe ABC, that story does not say that Moore is linked to suicide bombers. It says that one Sunni Insurgent group used sections from Moore's F-911 film in their own.

We need to be accurate in our attacks or we'll get slimed as irrational twits by the usual suspects. We need to be better.

[Bjorn Against]

21. Post 14 explains why I stand by my subject line

[NMDemDist2]

13. don't forget that the 700 Club is run on ABC Family either n/t

[Tiggeroshii]

17. That's a reuters article.

And it isn't really linking Moore to 911, or with terrorists. More like saying terrorists use Moore for whatever.

Just saying :eyes:

[Bjorn Against]

22. Read Post 14, and remember it is ABC's website

This is linking Moore to suicide bombers the same way Bush linked Iraq to Al Qaeda it never directly says there is a link, but it is worded in a way which creates that link in the readers mind.

That is why I said they are trying to link him, not that they actually did link him to suicide bombers.

[onenote]

30. read post 16

[Bjorn Against]

31. Who cares if it is three weeks old?

It was just as wrong for them to run it three weeks ago as it would be today.

[onenote]

35. they run reuters stories, they don't edit them.

Blame reuters...

[farmboxer]

18. I will never watch ABC again!

Disney? No thanks!

It appears that ABC does not want Democrats to watch their programs, so I will never watch such a network. We are not welcome. Sorry Mickey Mouse and pals.

A Democrat should not visit Disneyland, might as well visit Republican Headquarters.

[lynne]

19. "The Code of Silence" was done by a Sunni militant group - not by ABC.

ABC just reported on it the film. Any link to Michael Moore - intended or not - was done by the maker of the film, not by those who report on it.

More on the film here: http://www.siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications208706&Category=publications&Subcategory=0

[Bjorn Against]

23. No they clearly put Moore alongside the suicide bombers in the article

They chose to report in a way that would make that link in the readers mind.

Bush never said Iraq was connected with Al Qaeda, he is doing the same thing ABC/Reuters is doing here and TRYING to link the two by word association games.

And nowhere does it say which scenes of Moore's film were included, remember most of the film is newsreel footage. Do you think they would run a story saying "ABC News footage ran in tape promoting suicide bombings", if they had used ABCs footage on their tape? I think not.

[lynne]

24. Kill the messenger if you must -

- but all I see is an article about the film.

I guess it's all in what you choose to read between the lines.

[Bjorn Against]

25. When the message is propaganda, then it is appropriate to...

attack the messenger.

[tammywammy]

28. Then down with Yahoo!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060818/ts_nm/iraq_militants_documentary_dc_1

and Netscape
http://news.netscape.com/story/2006/08/18/iraqi-group-uses-michael-moore-film-to-mock-bush/

and Boston.com
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/08/18/iraqi_group_uses_michael_moore_film_to_mock_bush/


How dare they use this Reuters article three weeks ago! :sarcasm:

[onenote]

29. exactly!

As I pointed out, its absurd to connect the p2911 to the fact that the abc news website, which features reuters' stories, had this reuters story. Indeed, its a strawman that is so easily knocked down that it ends up undermining the valid arguments against abc relating to the p2911 piece o' crap.

[Bjorn Against]

32. They are all irresponsible as well...

Anyone who runs this garbage as a legitimate newspiece is guilty of spreading propaganda. It is disguised as a legitimate news article, but in reality it is a piece of propaganda.

And the fact that it is three weeks old is completely irrelevent. It was just as wrong three weeks ago as it is today.

[tammywammy]

33. But the title of your OP

says that it's ABC linking Michael Moore to suicide bombers.

It's neither an ABC article, nor does it link Moore to suicide bombers.

It's about a film.

I think your stretching.

[Bjorn Against]

34. Read my subject line again

It says TRYING to link, very different than actually linking them.

It is just like Bush was trying to link Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 hijackers by constantly talking about the two together. He never actually said there was a link but he certainly implied it.

This article is being run on ABC's website. That means it passes their test for journalism. Yes Reuters is guilty as well, even more guilty in fact. That does not excuse ABC however, if they run the story they are guilty of spreading propaganda.