Michael Moore controversies

Film director Michael Moore has been at the center of several controversies, mostly as a result of his far left/liberal political views and/or directing style.

Hurricane Gustav comments

As Hurricane Gustav approached the Gulf Coast as a Category 3/4 hurricane, Moore told MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on August 29, 2008 that the hurricane is "proof that there is a God in heaven," [http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/30/moore-on-gustav-there-is-a-god-in-heaven "Moore Under Fire for Saying Gustav Proof 'There Is a God.'"] Fox News, August 30, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-08-30.] since it would be hitting land on the same day as the start of the Republican National Convention. He further said it is proof of God "to just have it planned at the same time, that it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for day one of the Republican convention, up in the Twin Cities, at the top of the Mississippi River." He also added, "I mean, I certainly hope nobody gets hurt. I hope everybody's taking cover." Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise demanded an apology from Moore, calling the remarks offensive and inappropriate, adding, "the God I know would not share Michael Moore's glee for our plight." On August 31, Moore posted a satirical letter to God on his website, thanking Him for the timing of the storm but asking him to let it die to sea so it would do no serious damage. Moore also referred to claims made by such conservatives as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson that the September 11, 2001 attacks and Hurricane Katrina was retaliation by God in response to homosexuality and abortion. [ [http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2008-08-31 "An open letter to God, from Michael Moore."] "MichaelMoore.com", August 31, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-18.] Two days later, Moore said of his Gustav comments on his website, "Never explain comedy or satire or the ironic comment. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, never will." [ [http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2008-09-02 "Random thoughts from Michael Moore."] "MichaelMoore.com", September 2, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-09-18.]

Opinion of Cuban-Americans

In his 1997 best-selling book "Downsize This!", Moore wrote about Miami's Cuban exiles as "always present and involved... in every incident of national torment that has deflated our country for the past three decades," including as examples the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, Iran-Contra and the drug-abuse epidemic. Moore has also referred to Cuban exiles as "Batista supporters" and "wimps" who were wrong not to immediately send home child-boater Elián González. Regarding that controversy, Moore called Elián's mother a child abuser for taking the boy to sea. The comments incited angered responses from Cuban exiles. [Nieves, Gail. "Exiles strike back at Moore's writings", "The Miami Herald", August 8, 2004]

"Roger & Me"

Moore's body of work has attracted criticism from both the right and the left. On March 12 2007, Canadian filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine appeared on MSNBC's "Tucker" to talk about their documentary "Manufacturing Dissent", which investigates Michael Moore. They reported to have found that Moore talked with General Motors Chairman Roger Smith at a company shareholders' meeting, and that this interview was cut from "Roger & Me". [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117933050.html?categoryid=1263&cs=1 Leydon, Joe. "Manufacturing Dissent",] "Variety" 11 March 2007. URL accessed 4 April 2007.] [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/04/15/svmoore115.xml Melnyk, Debbie. "Taking on the Big Man",] Sunday Telegraph 15 April 2007. URL accessed 30 May 2008.] Moore acknowledged having spoken with Smith after surprising him at a shareholders' meeting in 1987, but said the encounter concerned a separate topic unrelated to the film.cite news|last=Flesher|first=John|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19269567/|title=Michael Moore has harsh words for critics|publisher=MSNBC|date=2007-06-16|accessdate=2007-06-17] The filmmaker told the Associated Press that had Roger Smith agreed to be interviewed during production, only for him to ignore the footage, General Motors would have publicized the information to discredit him. "I'm so used to listening to the stuff people say about me, it just becomes entertainment for me at this point. It's a fictional character that's been created with the name of Michael Moore."

"Bowling for Columbine"

Dave Kopel

Dave Kopel accused Moore of deceptive editing, staging or scripting scenes, or altering the original intent of the speaker, in his film "Bowling for Columbine", in the conservative magazine "National Review". [ [http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel040403.asp National Review Online:] "Bowling" Truths. Dave Kopel, 4 April 2003. URL accessed 9 July 2006.] Among other allegations, Kopel said that on-screen text was altered in a Bush-Quayle campaign ad, and footage edited into it from a non-campaign ad in order to make it seem racist. Moore denied that this was done in the film,Fact|date=June 2007 but corrected the text for the DVD release, so that it mirrored actual events. [ [http://www.spinsanity.org/post.html?2003_08_31_archive.html#10624779059990811 Moore alters "Bowling" DVD in response to criticism] "Spinsanity", September 9, 2003]

Matt Stone and Trey Parker

In "Bowling for Columbine" Moore interviewed Matt Stone, who discussed his experiences growing up in the Littleton area and the social alienation that might have contributed to the Columbine High School massacre. Stone, who is a gun-owner himself, said that Moore's presentation of their interview was fair, but he criticized the director for a short animated segment that followed the interview. The cartoon, which is about the history of guns in the United States, implies that there is a connection between the Ku Klux Klan and the National Rifle Association. Stone criticized Moore for making the cartoon "very South Park-esque" and argued that Moore deliberately sought to give viewers the incorrect impression that he and Trey Parker had produced the animation. Parker, the co-creator of South Park, alleged that Moore "ripped off" a film he had once made while at college, named American History, and "put it right after Matt's interview to make it look like we did it". [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtLudQtIGs Charlie Rose interview with Matt stone and Trey Parker] youtube] The cartoon segment does not appear immediately after the Stone interview." [http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/b/bowling-for-columbine-script-transcript.html Bowling for Columbine movie script] ."] Parker called it "a good reference to what Michael Moore does in films...he creates meaning where there is none by cutting things together."" [http://www.indielondon.co.uk/film/team_america_stoneQ&A.html Team America: World Police - Matt Stone Q&A] ." "IndieLondon"]

Academy Award speech

When Moore stepped up to recieve his Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine", he made a somewhat controversial speech condemning President Bush's administration, saying that "we" lived in "fictitious times" with "fictitious election results" and that America was involved in a war based on fictitious reasons. He recieved loud applause as well as loud boos from the audience. Steve Martin humorously joked afterwards that "the teamsters are helping Michael Moore" into the trunk of a car.

"Fahrenheit 9/11"

Moore set up a rebuttal "war room" to support the content in "Fahrenheit 9/11" and counter critics who felt he had been deceptive. [ [http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/index.php MichaelMoore.com:] War Room. 2 August 2004. URL accessed 9 July 2006.]

Ray Bradbury has criticized Moore's adaptation of his "Fahrenheit 451" title without permission. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5324876/ Hardball With Chris Matthews:] "Fahrenheit 451" author wants title back. 29 June 2004. URL accessed 9 July 2006]

In May of 2006, Moore was unsuccessfully sued by a veteran who lost both arms in the war in Iraq. Sergeant Peter Damon, of Middleborough, MA, alleged that Moore used snippets of a television interview without his permission to falsely portray him as anti-war. [ [http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0,,1788634,00.html Fahrenheit £40m: armless soldier sues Moore for using his image in anti-war film] , Dan Glaister, June 2, 2006. URL accessed May 30 2008.] A U.S. District Court Judge dismissed the suit on December 21, 2006, finding that no political beliefs were attributed to Damon in the film. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/12/21/moore-suit.html Iraqi war vet's suit dismissed] , CBC News, December 21, 2006] On March 21, 2008 the First Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the ruling in Moore's favor. [Citation| title = Damon v. Moore| date = March 21, 2008| year = 2008| url = http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/pdf.opinions/07-1365-01A.pdf| accessdate = 2008-03-27] The Associated Press reported that, in reaction to the ruling, "Moore said years of failed lawsuits against his films show his movies are accurate." [Citation| last = Lindsay| first = Jay | title = Court says Moore did not defame Iraq war veteran with documentary| newspaper = The Boston Globe| year = 2008| date = March 27, 2008| url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/03/27/court_says_moore_did_not_defame_iraq_war_veteran_with_documentary/]

Moore's work has come under fire from those who assert that when making his films, he unfairly edits and re-sequences events in order to twist or misrepresent the words of his targets or interviewees. Dave Kopel catalogues Moore's alleged use of such tactics in "Fahrenheit 9/11", and includes the official responses issued by Moore's "war room". [ [http://www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm "Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11"] ] "Slate" magazine's Christopher Hitchens also wrote a widely circulated critique of the same film. [ [http://slate.com/id/2102723/ Unfairenheit 9/11] by Christopher Hitchens, June 21, 2004. URL accessed 9 July 2006] These criticisms drew several counter-criticismscite web
url=http://www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/f911/hitch-moore.htm |title=A defense of Michael Moore and "Fahrenheit 9/11" |date=August 27, 2004] as well as an eFilmCritic article [ [http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=1150 Defending Truth: Slate's Chris Hitchens does a hatchet job on Michael Moore] by Chris Parry, eFilmCritic.com, June 23, 2004. URL accessed May 30 2008] and a Columbus Free Press editorial. [ [http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/17/2004/719 On Unfairenheit 9/11] by Graeme Greenup, "Columbus Free Press", July 18, 2004. URL accessed May 30 2008.]

"Sicko"

"See also: Sanjay Gupta"

Although "Sicko" was scheduled to be released on June 29 2007, the film was leaked onto the Internet in June 2007.cite news
last =Goldstein
first =Gregg
title =Pirated "Sicko" surfaces on YouTube
publisher =Reuters
date= 2007-06-18
url =http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1834856020070618?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&pageNumber=1
accessdate = 2007-06-18 ] Moore, who previously expressed his support for Internet downloading, denies leaking the video himself and an investigation has been held as to the source of the Internet leak. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib6d2c95cdf6b2ef37a85f5a151f1da7b 'Sicko' leaks have studios crying malpractice ] ]

In a May 2, 2007 letter, the Office of Foreign Assets Control informed Moore that he was the subject of a civil investigation stemming from the filmmaker's March trip to Cuba. In the letter to Moore, a Treasury official noted that the department had no record of Moore obtaining a license that authorized him to "engage in travel-related transactions involving Cuba," alleging that Moore violated the United States embargo against Cuba. cite web
title =Uncle Sam Probes Michael Moore (Treasury Department investigating director's unauthorized Cuba trip)
work =thesmokinggun.com
url =http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0510071moore1.html
accessdate=2007-05-11] cite web
title =Michael Moore In Trouble For Cuba Trip (Treasury Investigation; Moore Took Sept. 11 Workers To Banned Island For Treatment)
work =www.michaelmoore.com
url =http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=9778
accessdate=2007-05-14] A duplicate master copy of the film is being held in Canada in case American authorities attempt to seize the film as part of the criminal investigation against Moore that arose from taking American 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for medical treatment. [cite web | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1119539820070611 | publisher=Reuters | title=Moore fears film seizure after Cuba trip | work=www.reuters.com | accessdate=2007-07-11]

Moore appeared several times on CNN in July 2007. On Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room, following a "Sicko" fact-checking segment by CNN senior medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, Moore chastised CNN, Gupta, and Blitzer for coverage of his films "Sicko" and "Fahrenheit 9/11". Moore alleged that Sanjay Gupta misrepresented aspects of his film, "Sicko", in the fact-checking segment. "He said the facts were fudged," said Moore, referring to Gupta, on CNN's "Larry King Live". "That's a lie. None of the facts are fudged." Gupta said that he agreed with Moore on his premise that the U.S. healthcare system is "broken", but questioned Moore's "cherry-picking" of facts. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/10/gupta.sicko/index.html Michael Moore, Dr. Gupta square off over 'Sicko' - CNN.com ] ] Moore responded to CNN by publishing the results on his homepage. [ [http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10017 Setting CNN Straight] July 10, 2007] In the Blitzer interview, Moore said "I wish that CNN and the other mainstream media would just for once tell the truth about what's going on in this country, whatever it is. You guys have such a poor track record." Later in the interview, he criticized Blitzer and the mainstream media in general for "refusing to ask the hard questions and demand the honest answers," referencing the media's lack of inquiry in the months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20045343,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines Michael Moore Rips CNN's Wolf Blitzer - Michael Moore : People.com ] ]

Moore was also criticized by John Stossel for allegedly painting a "utopian" picture of the Cuban government and its health care system. Appearing on the ABC News program "Nightline" in June 2007, Moore responded: "In my movie you see Cubans getting help whenever they get sick, and that is the truth. The U.N. supports that fact. They have an excellent health care system, probably the best in the Third World." [ [http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/june/michael_moores_late.php Michael Moore's Latest Target: An 'Immoral' Health Care System | Physicians for a National Health Program ] ]

Critical documentary films

A number of documentary films have been produced that criticize Moore, such as "Michael Moore Hates America", "Celsius 41.11", "Michael & Me", "FahrenHYPE 9/11", and " Manufacturing Dissent". He is also being satirized in the 2008 fictional film "An American Carol". The filmmaker has joked that he will one day "sponsor a film festival of anti-Michael Moore films", personally handing out a prize to the winner. [James Mottrram, "The wealth in health", "Daily Mirror", October 26, 2007]

References