"Franken vs O'Reilly" Included in Sundance-Court TV Documentary Airing Tonight
Reported by Marie Therese - December 7, 2004
From the NY Times today, December 7, 2004:
Mama, Tell Me the One About Fox News Again
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Defeat demands solace, and viewers who voted against George W. Bush will find the first half-hour of "The First Amendment Project" tonight as soothing as hot cocoa or an ice-cold martini.
"The First Amendment" is a civic-minded four-part series about free-speech issues. Produced by the Sundance Channel and Court TV, it will be shown on both stations. The premiere, "Fox v. Franken," is light and frothy. Like a favorite bedtime story, it gleefully relives the humiliation Fox News endured for bringing a lawsuit against the comedian Al Franken's satirical book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."
"The First Amendment" is a civic-minded four-part series about free-speech issues. Produced by the Sundance Channel and Court TV, it will be shown on both stations. The premiere, "Fox v. Franken," is light and frothy. Like a favorite bedtime story, it gleefully relives the humiliation Fox News endured for bringing a lawsuit against the comedian Al Franken's satirical book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."
Mr. Franken is amusing, but the First Amendment question in his case was not very challenging. Instead, "Fox v. Franken" serves as a kind of free gift with purchase, an enticement for liberal viewers to sit through the program's second part, a half-hour documentary about a far more complex and difficult wrangle over free speech. "Poetic License" examines the case of Amiri Baraka, who was fired as Poet Laureate of New Jersey after causing a stir with his poem about Sept. 11, "Somebody Blew Up America," which suggested that Israel had foreknowledge of the attacks. (End excerpt.)
COMMENT
Sounds like a show I'd like to see. Perhaps you would, too! The First Amendment will air tonight at 9:00 PM EST. However, check your local cable listings for the time in your area.
