‘Kennedys’ miniseries ignites a storm

[cali]

New York Times / February 17, 2010


NEW YORK - A miniseries about John F. Kennedy’s presidency being prepared by the History channel does not have a cast or a premiere date. Not a frame has been shot. It does, however, have prominent critics who want it halted.

The critics, including Theodore C. Sorensen, a former Kennedy adviser, say they have read the scripts, and they contain errors of fact and emphasis.

“The Kennedys’’ is the brainchild of Joel Surnow, a creator of the Fox action show “24’’ and an outspoken conservative. That raised alarms among Kennedy partisans when the History channel said in December that it would pick up the project.

Now, a documentary filmmaker who makes no secret of his liberal politics is releasing an Internet video in which Kennedy scholars say the scripts offer a portrait of the president and his family that is at best inaccurate and at worst a hatchet job.

“It was political character assassination,’’ said the filmmaker, Robert Greenwald. “It was sexist titillation and pandering, and it was turning everything into a cheap soap opera.’’

Greenwald hopes his 13-minute video and petition, at stopkennedysmears.com, will take on lives of their own. A title card at the film’s conclusion reads: “Tell the History Channel I refuse to watch right-wing character assassination masquerading as ‘history.’ ’’

<snip>

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/02/17/kennedys_miniseries_ignites_a_storm/

[mmonk]

1. Because Americans can not be subjected to too much propaganda.

[Wednesdays]

5. And Americans revel in it, cherish it, and celebrate it

Particularly when it involves smearing a Democrat.

[roguevalley]

8. 24 is crap.

[mmonk]

9. Yes. Dangerous crap.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Most things contain errors of fact and emphasis.

so what's new.

[mmonk]

3. Depends on intent.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Intent

will only material to you in the USA - not necessarily the rest of world to whom History Channel is also broadcast by satellite. To the rest of the world JFK is probably best known for starting a war in Vietnam and his general womanising. Are those two subjects likely to be distorted to the extent that neither are true ?

[mmonk]

7. Intent is everything if one values factual information.

Whether someone likes someone or not is not relevant to truthful assessment.

[liberal N proud]

4. PBS just had an excellent show on the Kennedy's

It was part of their American Experience series.

[KittyWampus]

10. where is the documentary of Reagan showing him as the alzheimer ridden toll he really was?

[TheUnspeakable]

11. k&r-please sign the petition..

that video is infuriating-I'm so sick of this trashing and rewriting history!