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THE REVISIONIST HISTORY CHANNEL
“Just received this today in reply to my shot at the History Channel over their screening of Loose Change,” emails Doug Cox. “There’s something about bad spelling ...”
Dear Doug
Thankyou for your feedback.
Like all television networks The History Channel broadcasts conspiracy theory programming from series like ‘The Men Who Killed Kennedy’ to programmes like ‘Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land On The Moon? and the BBC series ‘The Power of Nightmares’ all of which present controversial theories relating to history.
Whilst no single representation of History is truely accurate the viewer needs to be given the opportunity to view all arguements in order to be able to begin to create their own opinion even if this serves to debunk a theory presented.
The majority of our 9/11 programming actually focused on the heroic actions of all involved in the events of September 11 2001.
Regards,
The History Channel
“As far as my Austar subscription goes,” writes Doug, “they’re history.”
Is the History Channel receiving government funding now, so they can afford to lie and drive away customers?
Posted by papertiger on 2007 07 11 at 11:49 AM • permalink"Whilst no single representation of History is truely accurate the viewer needs to be given the opportunity to view all arguements in order to be able to begin to create their own opinion even if this serves to debunk a theory presented."
So stay tuned for: Mongolian Camel Drivers Perspectives on the Kennedy Assasination, Peruvian Mountaineers explain the Normandy Landings, Madagascan Fisherman on the Swedish Matchstick Industry and of course, Tim Flannery on Climate Change....
Posted by Fast Eddie on 2007 07 11 at 11:50 AM • permalinkNext, they’ll show Oliver Stone’s JFK.
Posted by Harry Bergeron on 2007 07 11 at 12:45 PM • permalinkI haven’t seen the other three movies listed, but the title “Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land On The Moon?” suggests it is reporting on a conspiracy theory, or at least has the decency to have an honest title. And “The Power of Nightmares” suggests to me an “In Search Of” style of fantasy reporting.
Is it beyond the History Channel’s ability to distinguish between a movie about a conspiracy theory that already is widely known (JFK assassination) and a movie that is itself trying to create and perpetuate a conspiracy theory (Loose Change)?
Posted by tim maguire on 2007 07 11 at 12:47 PM • permalinkI haven’t seen “Loose Change” on the History Channel’s schedule here in the States, but they have run “Planet of the Apes” a couple of times in the last few months. I guess we’ll score the International Historically Accurate Programming Challenge as follows: U.S. History Channel 1-Australian History Channel 0.
WOw, this is disappointing. We don’t watch much TV in our home, but the occasional movie or something I d/l off iTunes. The d/l stuff tend to be History Channel stuff though. I really enjoy their WWII programs and my son and I LOVE Mail Call with Gunny Ermie. Might have to rethink my selection criteria.
All networks?
Why couldn’t they stick to drooling over Hitler and the Wehrmacht like they’re good at?
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2007 07 11 at 03:14 PM • permalinkThe History Channel here in the States has UFO shows on all the time - and I mean all the time. Some are from the slightly skeptical side and some are of the full-on “we believe every UFO story/conspiracy we’ve ever heard” type. I don’t think any of them are meant to represent an official view from the History Channel, though. It’s just something to fill airtime. I usually skip past the History Channel when the topic is in any way UFO-related because I have better things to do with my time. They do have Kennedy conspiracy stuff, too, and quite a lot of other conspiracy type “what if?” programming.
The thing that I find kind of jarring is that the cable channel CourtTV, which during the day covers actual criminal cases and ongoing trials with commentary by lawyers and other experts, will frequently at night show “psychic detective” shows about psychics investigating unsolved crimes. They have their little ghost-meters that measure “anomalies” at the scene of the crime and clairvoyants communing with the dead, etc. I just can’t help wondering how that kind of thing shows up on CourtTV. It seems like it can’t be good for their reputation.
PAUL Keating bought into election-year politics again last night with an attack on John Howard in which he portrayed him as a dangerous and divisive nationalist who manipulated Australia’s best instincts.
The former prime minister used a speech to the Sydney Film School to deliver a discourse on the Prime Minister’s culture and history wars that drew in Hitler and Margaret Thatcher - though he hastened to add he was not equating them.
But he portrayed Mr Howard, like Hitler, as a nationalist, rather than a patriot and he said that nationalism was “arguably more exclusionary than racism”, with a propensity to stigmatise cultural, religious and linguistic attributes.
- Speaking to a Film School? Good place to rewrite history.I wrote to the history channel last year because as part of their 9/11 “commemoration” they had loose change in the lineup. It had been getting fairly heavy promotion as well.
The bloke I eventualy spoke to was quite reasonable and saw how offensive it would be pretty well straight away.
Im sure they recieved a number of complaints, and to their credit, it wasnt shown as part of the days shows. I think its more a case of buying “job lots” of programming cheaply and fitting it in where they can rather than any deliberate slap to others.
Still, would be nice if the ABC put on loose change and subjected it to the sort of inquisition Im sure it will get tonight.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 07 11 at 07:32 PM • permalinkThe answer from the History Channel translated
1) Why let the facts get in the way of a good story, especially a conspiracy one. and
2) Why let the facts get in the way of spreading a theory if it suits our political/social manipulating ends.
Remember that according the liberal thinking “there is no truth”.
Posted by LaVallette on 2007 07 11 at 07:56 PM • permalinkThe History Channel shows a lot of schlock, but I don’t think it has the balls to schedule Loose Change in the US. Most of its programming about 9-11 is quite good.
Posted by Kyda Sylvester on 2007 07 11 at 09:22 PM • permalinkI want to apply for the Gore effect sweepstakes. Since Live Earth aired, my corner of the world has experienced a steady decline in temperature, culminating in thundershowers on Tuesday (excuse the local papers liberal slant - they are true believers).
It’s not really all that unusual for the Sacto Valley to get a mid summer T-storm, but after a steady stream of heatwave predictions by the Bee, followed by me chiding them in their comment section that Mother Gaia will get them for fibbing, I think they are spooked.
Heh.Posted by papertiger on 2007 07 12 at 12:10 AM • permalink
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I’m convinced that the advent of hundreds of cable TV channels, 24/7, has reduced the quality of programming to the point that the majority of TV programs are crap.
While we do have a wider variety to choose from, the demand for programming has allowed any cretin with a camera and the ability to edit video to get credentials as a “producer”, with the nearly virtual certainly that some channel manager somewhere will buy their swill, and sell it as wine. Sounds like the History Channel is starting to circle the drain.
For the record, I do have cable TV, but only basic services, and that only because I get my broadband access by cable. Oh, and I enjoy an occasional movie as well. For the rest, I’m grateful for that information button on my remote, so I can see what’s on without really watching it.