Time magazine has interviewed Michael Moore in anticipation of his next film, Sicko, which reportedly takes aim at the U.S. health care system. (HT: Drudge.) The interview is a run-of-the-mill Q&A that's basically a yawner until Moore lets out some pure hilarity.
TIME: Do you think people will accuse the movie of inaccuracy?
MOORE: I offered $10,000 to anybody who could find a single fact in Fahrenheit 9/11 that was wrong.
TIME: Have you had to pay anything?
MOORE: No, of course not. Every fact in my films is true. And yet how often do I have to read over and over again about supposed falsehoods? The opinions in the film are mine. They may not be true, but I think they are.
Good grief. "Every fact in my films is true"? Not even close. An entire industry has practically erupted in debunking Moore's films.
Fahrenheit 9/11? Debunked:
"Fifty-Nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11," (pdf) by Dave Kopel, Independence Institute (Note: Very lengthy) ...
"Unfairenheit 9/11: The lies of Michael Moore," by Christopher Hitchens ...
Bowling for Columbine? Debunked:
"Bowling for Columbine: Documentary or Fiction?" by David T. Hardy (Note: Very Lengthy) ...
"Moore admits to altering 'Bowling for Columbine' DVD" by Brendan Nyhan, SpinSanity.com ...
"Bowl-o-Drama," by Daniel Lyons, Forbes magazine ...
See also: MooreWatch ... MooreExposed ... "Moore's myriad mistakes," by Bryan Keefer, SpinSanity.com ... Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man by David Hardy and Jason Clarke ...
It seems Moore owes $10,000 to a lot of people!
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For your files: Frankenlies.com: The truth about the lies of Al Franken; Franken debunked (by me :))
—Dave Pierre is the creator of TheMediaReport.com and a contributor to NewsBusters.
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Comments Policy
The one by David Hardy is exc
May 17, 2007 - 21:06 ET by sarcasmoThe one by David Hardy is excellent (but I agree, it's LONG!).
JMR
no duh
May 17, 2007 - 21:11 ET by botgWell, duh, every fact in his movie is true. Once someone proves that something is not true it is therefore a lie and is not a fact. Thus every fact is true and every lie is false now the real question is are there more facts than lies?
Dave thank you for the research
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
He's "lawyering"
May 17, 2007 - 21:36 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveHe's "lawyering" his words. Of course the facts are all true...it's just that his movies have very few facts in them.
"Believe what you want. You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine." --Frank Bullitt
Based on your answer the tall
May 17, 2007 - 21:38 ET by botgBased on your answer the tally thus far
more facts 0
more lies 1
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
Spot on! TIME really goes for
May 18, 2007 - 08:44 ET by Sergeant ROCKSpot on! TIME really goes for the juglar when they're interviewing one of their own.
Dave don't give away any ans
May 17, 2007 - 21:12 ET by Gat New YorkDave don't give away any answers in case he is still good for the $10,000.
Do you know if the offer is still good?(if it ever was).
Dave i went to your web site
May 17, 2007 - 21:24 ET by botgDave i went to your web site on Franken, thank you for clearing up a misconception i've had. I thought that 'Lies and the lying liars that tell them' was Al's autobiography
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
I am seriously shocked if you
May 17, 2007 - 23:45 ET by Brownback for PrezI am seriously shocked if your not writing for HALF HOUR NEWS HOUR. I mean Al frankens AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Get me a lughtrack and call me Laura Ingraham.
Did you write the Limbaugh as President gag. BOTG- does that stand for BOYS-ON-TOP- GOOD??? Your not pulling a Foley on us are you joker.
How old are you, Brownie?
May 17, 2007 - 23:48 ET by RJHow old are you Brownie? No, seriously. How old are you?
Ha, we had the same impressio
May 17, 2007 - 23:53 ET by botgHa, we had the same impression a juvenile
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
RJ,Judging from this clown'
May 18, 2007 - 08:24 ET by Dave RRJ,
Judging from this clown's posts that I've seen so far, I'm pegging his age at around twelve or thirteen. Fifteen if he is attending a government school. :-O
sorry 7th grade was a long ti
May 17, 2007 - 23:51 ET by botgsorry 7th grade was a long time ago
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
Yes, true in the same way tha
May 17, 2007 - 21:25 ET by Dave DYes, true in the same way that I can correctly say John Edwards often went to restaurants when he was younger and you know he didn't pay for his meal at the end, the guy would just get up and leave instead. (You know, if I wanted to suggest that the guy was dishonest. Yes, the statement is technically true and doesn't mean what it seems like it would mean.)
LOL, I just saw an episode of
May 17, 2007 - 22:44 ET by Del DolemonteLOL, I just saw an episode of "That 70's Show" where Kelso stiffed the restaurant the same way. Has anyone ever seen Ashton Kusher and Breck Girl in the same room at the same time?
Well that's not what I meant.
May 17, 2007 - 23:53 ET by Dave DWell that's not what I meant. What I was talking about was that Edwards would occasionally eat at Wendy's. So I was technically correct when I said he didn't pay at the end of his meal and simple got up and left. That's because he had already paid. (That's pretty much what Moore does, points out something technically true and gets you to believe something completely bogus by not mention certain facts.)
I've got a lawyer friend th
May 18, 2007 - 01:00 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveI've got a lawyer friend that likes to tell people he never kissed his wife until they were married...which is true, she wasn't his wife until they were married.
"Believe what you want. You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine." --Frank Bullitt
Is your lawyer friend Bill Cl
May 18, 2007 - 08:20 ET by JimboIs your lawyer friend Bill Clinton?? Wait – can’t be. Clinton was disbarred.
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
I'm going to start using that
May 18, 2007 - 08:22 ET by Hero SquadI'm going to start using that one! Thanks Mean Gene!
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
Moore means that "every
May 17, 2007 - 22:20 ET by SMGalbraithMoore means that "every fact is true" in the same manner that Rosie O'Donnell states that 665,000 Iraqis have died since the intervention.
That is, there's a source somewhere - no matter how dubious, no matter how tendentious, no matter how ideological - that can be cited as the reference for the facts that he uses.
Isn't it interesting, by the way, that if there are 100 studies concluding that 50,000 Iraqis have died since the war began and one study that argues that 600,000 Iraqis have died, that many on the Left will immediately and gleefully seize the one study that makes America look the worst?
Happens every time.
And they wonder why people view them as anti-American?
Well, yes, facts are, by de
May 17, 2007 - 22:32 ET by motherbeltWell, yes, facts are, by definition, truths. That is like saying everything that is true in my movie is true.
Reminds me of George Stephanopolous saying that Bill Clinton kept every promise that he intended to keep.
'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful
tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.' - from "Through the Looking Glass"
The only way one could call M
May 17, 2007 - 22:41 ET by Del DolemonteThe only way one could call Mikey out would be in fact to legally challenge him in court on the falsehoods in the "F-911" movie. Since none of those people who exposed all of the faults in said film have anywhere near the financial resources of Mikey, I doubt it would ever happen.
Moore's movie success proves PT Barnum's theory-which was also proved by the 2-term Bill Clinton pResidency.
His "documentaries"
May 17, 2007 - 22:54 ET by botgHis "documentaries" would immediately become satire (is the Foster bRooks intended)
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
MOORE: No, of course not. Eve
May 17, 2007 - 23:05 ET by ZoneDaiatlasMOORE: No, of course not. Every fact in my films is true. And yet how often do I have to read over and over again about supposed falsehoods? The opinions in the film are mine. They may not be true, but I think they are.
Didn't he contradict himself with that statement? Anyways Michael Moore fears the "TRUTH" about Cuba's Free Health Care...
TheRealCuba.com
Didn't he contradict himself?
May 18, 2007 - 08:36 ET by rimskyDidn't he contradict himself? Exactly! The opinions (translation = not necessarly facts) in the film are mine. They may not be true, but I think (just his opinion) they are.
Laughable!
Where does creative editing
May 18, 2007 - 00:41 ET by awffp1890Where does creative editing fit into Michael's "facts"?
"Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity. But in simple obedience to duty." - From the barracks at Ft. Benning
Moore. What Facts?
May 18, 2007 - 03:15 ET by Gary HallMoore says, "Every fact in my films is true."
But in the same breath (literally) Moore also says, "The opinions in the film are mine. They may not be true, but I think they are."
Back on June 20, 2004 on ABC's Entertainment/This Week, according to http://www.slate.com/id/2102725/, Michael Moore is credited with:
So the bottom line here, according to Michael Moore might actually be that Moore considers his work as something between a comedy and an op-ed, and can comfortably claim that "every fact is true," because there are no facts to begin with. The only fact is that his movies are not documentaries. (;~>
Also, didn't Moore previous
May 18, 2007 - 05:00 ET by motherbeltAlso, didn't Moore previously try to refute his critics by saying the film was comedy, and how could comedy be false?? So, it's comedy, it's opinion, it's a documentary, whatever. When he gets caught, he just switches to a different defense.
What color is the sky in Mich
May 18, 2007 - 08:34 ET by BeukeboomWhat color is the sky in Michael Moore's little fantasy world?
The Michael Moore character
May 18, 2007 - 08:40 ET by Sergeant ROCKThe Michael Moore character in Team America is pretty accurate. And Sean Penn's description of Iraq prior to our invasion is what their ilk really believes.
Even if his facts are true,
May 18, 2007 - 10:00 ET by Dave in TexasEven if his facts are true, that doesn't mean that they are accurate, fair, or an honest representation of the situation. From 59 Deceits:
38. Rep. Porter Goss says he has an “800 number,” and the Fahrenheit caption says “He’s lying.” Goss does have a toll-free number, although the prefix is 877.
It is satire not fact
May 18, 2007 - 10:30 ET by dagdaWhen Moore is called on a "fact" being incorrect, he claims it is satire. As satire exaggerates, so can he. Therefore, his "facts" and $10,000 are still safe. However, satire and documentary are not the same. One cannot have a satirical documentary, it is either one or the other.
The Oscar people have violated their own rules by allowing Moore to win an Oscar for his film. The same probably holds true for "An Inconvenient Lie." Who would like to join me in a law suit for deceptive advertising against the Oscars.
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
“Every fact in my film is t
May 18, 2007 - 10:49 ET by Airforce_5_O“Every fact in my film is true…The opinions in the film are mine. They may not be true, but I think they are.”
Is it me or does he contradict himself? Or is he telling us that it doesn’t matter what we think or know he considers his facts to be the only truth?
Tell you what I think. He is really Rosie in disguise.
Now that you mention it, I
May 18, 2007 - 11:20 ET by motherbeltNow that you mention it, I have never seen them in the same place at the same time......
Here is a Moore accuracy
May 18, 2007 - 11:13 ET by LionKingBush was indeed the POTUS during the 9-11 attack.
[Hooray, one fact correct]
I just smile when I see pictu
May 18, 2007 - 12:34 ET by IgnatzJFahrquarI just smile when I see pictures of this fat, bloated sack and think "Keep jambin' your jib with fats and sweets so you can grace us with an early departure from this World!"
BTW, good thing I'm not in Massachusnuts. I'd be written up for making fun of the obese.
"All generalizations are false, including this one.” Mark Twain
"Paper cuts sizzors or -- errr"
May 18, 2007 - 13:01 ET by w0tmVery poor journalism research to have totally missed "fire has never melted steel". Dr. Moore had to wait for world-renowned, award winning PhD civil engineer and metallurgist Rosie O'Donnell to bring to light the clear as day proof that 9/11 was 100% the work of George Bush and a cast of thousands who are now locked up forever in an "undisclosed, secure location". I lost all faith in the accuracy and scientific research of Dr. Moore when he missed such a freshman Metallurgy 101 fact. Can we now depend on anything he says? I don't think so. I'm anxiously waiting reading the doctoral paper in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Dr. Rosie has written and is awaiting publication after the customary formality of peer review by scientific concensus. As we all know, steel is formed and molded by a mixture of heated Elmer's glue and tin foil baking tin molds as was demonstrated recently on The View (the one where the set burnt down. That was NOT Rosie's fault! I don't care what assistant B. Walters says). Has this been kept a secret? I don't think so. Poor journalism. Very, very poor.
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View http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c to FINALLY understand why liberals think the way they do. This was the most informative 47 minutes I've ever spent. Please -- take the time to view it.