ABC: '9/11' mini 'fictional'
ABC defends '9/11'
SepT 8, 2006
ABC issued a defense Thursday of its controversial miniseries "The Path to 9/11," which has come under fire from members of the Clinton administration.
The network released a statement saying that the five-hour telefilm, which airs Sunday and Monday nights, is not meant to be a documentary but a "dramatization" of the events leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"It is a dramatization drawn from a variety of sources including the '9/11 Commission Report,' other published materials and personal interviews," the network said. "As such, for dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue and time compression."
A spokeswoman for the network declined comment on the statement.
In recent days, a rising chorus of critics have assailed "Path to 9/11" for offering an inaccurate depiction of pre-Sept. 11 behind-the-scenes politics. Former Clinton officials, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Adviser Samuel Berger have voiced their objections over scenes that cast their involvement in an unflattering light.
However, ABC left open the possibility that the scenes that have been criticized could still be removed from the miniseries, which will be subject to edit before air.
"No one has seen the final version of the film because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible," ABC said.
Sources said ABC already has made minor edits to the miniseries, toning down one particular scene involving Berger that was interpreted by some as suggesting he at one point opted to not order the assassination of Osama bin Laden. The scene was edited to emphasize the culpability of no one particular individual, sources said, who also noted that not every scene that has been called into question will necessarily be changed.
Separately, children's media company Scholastic said Thursday that it was removing an online classroom guide related to "Path to 9/11" intended for high school students. The original materials, which concerned the subject matter of the film, will be replaced with content that addresses more general subjects, including media literacy and critical thinking.
"After a thorough review of the original guide that we offered online to about 25,000 high school teachers, we determined that the materials did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues," Scholastic chairman, president and CEO Dick Robinson said.
The network released a statement saying that the five-hour telefilm, which airs Sunday and Monday nights, is not meant to be a documentary but a "dramatization" of the events leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"It is a dramatization drawn from a variety of sources including the '9/11 Commission Report,' other published materials and personal interviews," the network said. "As such, for dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue and time compression."
A spokeswoman for the network declined comment on the statement.
In recent days, a rising chorus of critics have assailed "Path to 9/11" for offering an inaccurate depiction of pre-Sept. 11 behind-the-scenes politics. Former Clinton officials, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Adviser Samuel Berger have voiced their objections over scenes that cast their involvement in an unflattering light.
However, ABC left open the possibility that the scenes that have been criticized could still be removed from the miniseries, which will be subject to edit before air.
"No one has seen the final version of the film because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible," ABC said.
Sources said ABC already has made minor edits to the miniseries, toning down one particular scene involving Berger that was interpreted by some as suggesting he at one point opted to not order the assassination of Osama bin Laden. The scene was edited to emphasize the culpability of no one particular individual, sources said, who also noted that not every scene that has been called into question will necessarily be changed.
Separately, children's media company Scholastic said Thursday that it was removing an online classroom guide related to "Path to 9/11" intended for high school students. The original materials, which concerned the subject matter of the film, will be replaced with content that addresses more general subjects, including media literacy and critical thinking.
"After a thorough review of the original guide that we offered online to about 25,000 high school teachers, we determined that the materials did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues," Scholastic chairman, president and CEO Dick Robinson said.
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