Kudos to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos for challenging Michael Moore on his Sunday morning program This Week. Unlike the clods at CBS' 60 Minutes, George didn't give Mike a pass on his presentation of the facts relating to his film Fahrenheit 9/11.

        The interview aired on June 20, 2004, and in one part of the interview, it sure looks like George caught Moore playing a little loose with the truth. (There were other instances, but this was our favorite.) Here's the scenario:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You have a scene when you're up on Capitol Hill encountering members of Congress, asking them if they would ask their sons and daughters to enlist … in the military. And one of those members of Congress who appears in the trailer, [Rep.] Mark Kennedy [D - Minn.], said you left out what he told you, which is that he has two nephews serving in the military, one in Afghanistan. And he went on to say that, "Michael Moore doesn't always give the whole truth. He's a master of the misleading."

MOORE: Well, at the time, when we interviewed him, he didn't have any family members in Afghanistan. And when he saw the trailer for this movie, he issued a report to the press saying that he said that he had a kid in—

STEPHANOPOULOS: He said he told you he had two nephews.

MOORE: … No, he didn't. And we released the transcript and we put it on our web site. This is what I mean by our war room. Any time a guy like this comes along and says, "I told him I had two nephews and one was going to Iraq and one was going to Afghanistan," he's lying. And I've got the raw footage and the transcript to prove it. So any time these Republicans come at me like this, this is exactly what they're going to get. And people can go to my web site and read the transcript and read the truth. What he just said there, what you just quoted, is not true.

(emphasis added) (the actual transcript is here)

        "Go to my web site and read the transcript"? Sure, Mike! According to your own web site (link), here is what you and Kennedy actually said to each other.

CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: How are you doing?

MOORE: I'm trying to get members of Congress to get their kids to enlist in the army and go over to Iraq. Is there any way you could help me with that?

CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: How would I help you?

MOORE: Pass it out to other members of Congress.

CONGRESSMAN KENNEDY: I'd be happy to. Especially those who voted for the war. I have a nephew on his way to Afghanistan.

(emphasis added)

 

        The bottom line:

Moore was correct that Kennedy did not tell him that he had two nephews, but Moore is untruthful when he quotes or paraphrases Kennedy as having told him "one was going to Iraq and one was going to Afghanistan." Moore's own transcript refutes this. (Kennedy only says, "I have a nephew on his way to Afghanistan.")

Rep. Kennedy does in fact have two nephews in the military, one of whom is in Afghanistan. This is not disputed (link), and Stephanopoulos was correct in his presentation. Moore was wrong to tell Stephanopoulos, "What he [Kennedy] just said there, what you just quoted, is not true."

 

TheMediaReport.com says ... facts 1, Moore 0.

P.S. - Here is a must-see, comprehensive examination of the deceptions in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11: "Fifty-Nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11," by Dave Kopel.