November 04, 2003

History Defended

Gus [click here and scroll down to "Getting it straight"] at The Chapin Nation on the Reagan mini-series moving to Showtime:

The reportage on the cancelling of the Reagan mini-series was peppered with references to Republicans, conservatives and economic pressures by the right implying that the mini-series was forced off the air by "political" pressures.
Then there was the gobble-de-gook about pay-per-view standards being different than regular network standards, meaning, I suppose, that it's OK to lie and be sub-human on one but not the other.
The point here is about being a decent human being.
There are issues about Ronald Reagan and his presidency that need examination such as Iran Contra and the interesting combination of what, by all reports, was a decent human being who did not seem to grasp the social issues of his term.
All of that is decidedly fair game for an honest dramatic and historical exploration of a president and his time.
What was not fair game was creating lines and situations that make Ronald Reagan look like something he wasn't, which even people who were not avid supporters of his knew that he wasn't and what his enemies wished him to appear as to the public.
The short term for that is "hatchet job".
That was what CBS tried to pull off.
And they got caught at it.

CBS should have broadcasted it so I'd have another reason never to watch their programming. Unlike Michele, I'm not disturbed by the move. A group of people (conservative Reagan fans) used their free speech rights to complain. CBS didn't have to cave, and I'm actually surprised they did. The show will go on, and Showtime will be the beneficiary.