Despite Last Minute Re-cut ABC/Disney's "Path to 9/11" Still rife with Misinformation, Fabrication and Misleading Scenes

Network Gets Facts Wrong on American Airlines in Opening Scene of Highly Discredited Miniseries

September 11, 2006 (Washington, DC) - Despite heavy criticism from many prominent media figures, last night ABC aired the first of two parts of "The Path to 9/11." The film, though reportedly edited from its original version, still retained fabricated scenes, misleading information and inaccurate depictions and characterizations of Clinton Administration officials. In addition, in a special edition of Nightline following the airing of the first half of the series, ABC left out important facts that have been reported regarding the U.S. government's failure to capture Osama Bin Laden after 9-11.

ABC/Disney 9-11 film also gets facts wrong about dead FBI agent, American Airlines
Despite the suggestion by some that falsehoods have been alleged only with respect to the portrayal of some Clinton administration officials by ABC's The Path to 9/11, the film allegedly misrepresents others -- including former FBI counterterrorism expert John O'Neill and American Airlines. Read More

ABC retained fabricated scene showing Clinton officials aborting mission to capture Bin Laden
The first part of the ABC miniseries The Path to 9-11, which aired on September 10, included a fabricated scene that depicts Clinton administration officials declining to authorize the CIA to capture Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Read More

On Nightline, ABC's Ross reported simply that bin Laden "was able to slip away" from Tora Bora
On a special edition of ABC's Nightline, aired immediately after the first part of The Path to 9/11, Brian Ross reported that Osama bin Laden "was thought to have been cornered in a mountainous area called Tora Bora, but he was able to slip away into Pakistan." Ross gave no indication that bin Laden "was able to slip away" because President Bush reportedly ignored the CIA's recommendations to send more troops into Tora Bora. Read More

Backgrounder: Recent Media Matters Research Items on ABC's "The Path to 9-11"

NY Times falsely suggested criticism of Path to 9/11 and calls for its cancellation coming solely from Clinton administration members, Democratic officials
In fact, criticism of the film's factually inaccurate and misleading portrayal of the Clinton administration's handling of the terrorist threat is coming from across the political spectrum. Read More

ABC's 9-11 miniseries under intense fire from journalists, conservatives
As more and more misinformation is discovered in ABC's planned miniseries The Path to 9/11, the network has come under criticism and pressure from journalists, conservative pundits, and the film's star, actor Harvey Keitel, to correct the film's inaccuracies and to set the record straight regarding the Clinton administration's counterterrorism efforts. Read More

Media embraced ABC's contradictory defense that critics are "premature and irresponsible"
Various news media have uncritically reported ABC's statement that criticism of The Path to 9/11 is "premature and irresponsible," because the film has not yet been finalized, even though the network had reportedly said the previous week that the film was "locked and ready to air," screened the film at the National Press Club, and has provided preview copies to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and a number of right-wing bloggers. Read More

###