CBS has cancelled its "truthful" anti-Reagan hit piece

[Ned]

As reported by Drudge, CBS has heard the message of the people and has cancelled its upcoming movie on Reagan that was purportedly a smear of Reagan. Republicans had called for CBS to prominently label the movie as fiction. Rather than do that, CBS management apparently dismissed the movie's director and began to edit it themselves. However, they apparently realized that there was nothing they could do to fix the movie and simply decided not to run it at all.

http://www.drudgereport.com/

[Nubclear]

Republicans pride America for its free speech, yet when something appears that they do not like...They wish to silence it so that nobody may hear it.

How.....Soviet

[notyoueither]

Slander is not protected by free speech.

[Harry Tuttle]

Judging from the last few TV movies I saw this is a good thing. Besides, their viewer base probably would have puked at the thing. Reagan was a TV icon for the older generation and many of those viewers thought he was a decent president. And no, I don't believe he got all biblical and said AIDS victims can all just go and die. Just another example of a director with way to much creative license and an agenda.

[Harry Tuttle]

ditto on the second to last post

[Lincoln]

CBS should be called see BS. Too bad they couldn't pull off this scam. It had so much potential for the Democratic party. Oh well, they can still hope that the economy takes another down turn and we lose the war in Iraq and make a movie about Atila the Bush...

[Q Classic]

i'm sick of fake "biopics" that purport to destroy whatever remains of any heroic thing we have left in america.

the last hero died sometime in the late 60s, along with the silver age of comics.

[Nubclear]

While I agree this movie is too political (I mean all political movies will bend the facts, however this one went a bit far....) however to silence them is to begin a slip into despotism.
If the Republicans have enough power to begin shutting things down that violate party doctrine...
No peoples should be silenced from giving out their opinion, and they should not be limited in how they express their opinion unless it harms other people.

[ixnay]

GOOD THING THOSE EVIL DEMOCRATS WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE AN EVIL PROPAGANDA FILM THAT DIDN'T SHOW REAGAN AS A GOD AMONGST MEN.

[Lincoln]

It wasn't just Republicans. There was a tremendous public outcry. If they wanted to spoof him then that is their problem for being tastless but trying to present this as a real portrait is a little much. They tried to scam the public and they got caught.

[Nubclear]

Ha.

Of course there were a few other people. However the outcry in the Republican party was quite severe. I have no doubt this is what happend.
And yes, if the democrats did the same thing about a movie slamming some liberal leader, I would be saying the same thing

I do hope someone else picks this up.

[Shi Huangdi]

Free speech remains protected. The government did not interfere in this matter. But while you have a right to say what you want, you don't have the right to expect people to continue to do business with you if you offend them. CBS realized the threat of this and withdrew the movie.

[Harry Tuttle]

Hey Tassadar, do you really think the Republicans went in their like gang busters and shut this thing down? I've got news for you, there was so much hoopla over this piece of junk that CBS was receiving phone calls from bi-partisan watchdog groups. Also, it's not "people" or "citizens" having their say, CBS is an independent corporation. What would you say if someone ran a biography about FDR and had him say that he purposefully ignored the the Holocaust? Or had LBJ say that his Great Society was no more than BS for the voters? Would that come under free speech or slander?

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle
CBS is an independent corporation.

However, the Republican party has shown power in the area of being able to censor what it does not like. It can get people fired from corperations, it can get mini-movies taken off the air, it can cancel deals between two people....
Yes, other people may have complained, but the Republican party is an extremly powerful force in America today. I would not be saying this if I had not seen for myself exactly what the party does when theres something it doesn't like.
At first theres a news story about it. Then all the conservative talk show hosts begin to slam it for one reason or another.
Then they call for a boycott/whatnot, and then it gets dropped.

What would you say if someone ran a biography about FDR and had him say that he purposefully ignored the the Holocaust? Or had LBJ say that his Great Society was no more than BS for the voters? Would that come under free speech or slander?

I would disagree with it and not watch it, however it is free speech. It wouldnt be accurate, and it certainly wouldn't be a biography, but it would be free speech and should not be censored.
If the Nazis decided to run a movie slamming the allies and they call it a historical-nonfiction piece, then fine! People can label it what they want, but it should still be allowed to run.

[Harry Tuttle]

Yes Tassadar, exactly like the mob. That is the party I spent five years in, running a grass roots effort for, and seeing first hand how it exactly works. We keep tabs on everyone. Watch what they eat, read their trash, and smite them with no abandon. I suggest you put down your popular fiction, get a clue, and take some time away from your idealist fantasy. There is no big brother. In fact, even if their was, he'd be to dumb and disorganized to do anything like what you are describing. Trust me, I've seen the politicos in action and its nothing like that.