Michael Moore Declined RatherGate Documents

RatherBiased.com reports,

Michael Moore, director of the movie Farenheit 9/11, said Sunday that he was given the same phony documents used by CBS News in its infamous Sept. 8 “60 Minutes” story but that he rejected them for inclusion in his film because his staff did not believe they were authentic.

“Back when I was making Fahrenheit, I was offered the documents that were given to CBS but I didn’t use them because we couldn’t verify them,” Moore said following a speech at the University of Central Arkansas.

Dr. Rick Scott, the university’s honors program director, told RatherBiased.com that Moore said he had a three-tiered-system of fact checking which led him to believe the documents were not valid. He did not say if his source was Bill Burkett, the disgruntled former Texas Army National Guard Other university officials confirmed this account.

Very funny if true.

FILED UNDER: 2004 Election, Media, , , , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. ken says:

    Fahrenheit 9/11 is now available at your local video store. I rented it over the weekend to watch with my 12 year old son.

    What an eye opener. You really cannot imagine how ‘totally bullshit lame’, to use my sons expression, Bush really is until you’ve seen him through the sharp eyes of a young boy coming into manhood.

    I am glad Moore turned those documents down. One of the reasons his film is so powerful is because of his relentless fact checking. Someone may disagree with his conclusions but his factual evidence is impecable.

  2. bryan says:

    Um, Dan, you might want to “fact check” a little bit yourself.

    http://www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm

    And of course, the insinuation that it takes the eyes of a 12-year-old to understand the president is a scary thought. Do you depend on your son to make decisions about your mortgage too?

  3. McGehee says:

    Ken, you have given me the biggest, loudest, longest, sidesplittingest laugh of the past few weeks.

    One of the reasons his film is so powerful is because of his relentless fact checking.

    Sheer comedic genius.

  4. Dean Esmay says:

    I wonder what the same 12 year old kid would think of Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of Will or The Turner Diaries?

  5. LJD says:

    Michael Moore’s three tiered system of “fact-checking”:

    1.) Does it sound BAD for President Bush?

    2.) What would Dan Rather do?

    3.) Will the American people let me get away with it?

  6. If Michael Moore has a three-tiered system of fact checking, well then I’m Queen Elizabeth.

  7. tim says:

    ” ‘totally bullshit lame’”

    if your 12 year old speaks like that, then you need to watch less political movies and more parenting movies.