ROTTEN TOMATOES: Michael Moore Scratched Off Wolf Blitzer's Christmas Card List

Michael Moore Scratched Off Wolf Blitzer's Christmas Card List

by Jeff Giles | July 11, 2007

This bit of news isn't as sexy as a breathless update on who might be starring in what, and the comments are sure to devolve into ideology-bound snark in short order, but we're duty-bound to report the facts, ma'am, and here they are: Michael Moore appeared on CNN Monday, ostensibly to promote his latest film, "Sicko," but some unwise scheduling and three years of pent-up frustration combined to put host Wolf Blitzer in the crosshairs instead.

Unfortunately for Blitzer, Moore's appearance on "The Situation Room" was preceded by a segment hosted by the network's resident medical expert, Sanjay Gupta, in which Gupta accused Moore of "fudging some facts" in "Sicko." Moore, predictably, was annoyed by this -- and since he was making his first appearance on CNN since the network, along with the rest of the mainstream media, scoffed at his last film, "Fahrenheit 911," Moore decided to take off the gloves and let Blitzer know exactly how he feels about not only Gupta's segment, but the entire network.

Reactions to this story have largely fallen along party lines, which is par for the course with Michael Moore, but regardless of how you feel about the man's message, it's hard to argue against the notion that the cable news networks deserve to be raked over the coals for their handling of any of a number of issues -- and in an era of increasingly stultified debate, it's refreshing to see some honest emotion on one of these shows that isn't drowned out by crosstalk or cut off by a commercial break. Follow the Cinematical link below for a link to the video.

Source: Cinematical

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(1-20 of 20 posts) | Reply

dracus writes:
on Jul 11 2007 07:24 AM

Way to go Mikey! These days CNN is nothing more than a tabloid network anyway.

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Sadistik writes:
on Jul 11 2007 07:55 AM

CNN is becoming the new FOX NEWS. The mainstream media in this country is nothing but right-wing hackery of the highest order (or lowest order, depending on how you look at it).

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SinandBones writes:
on Jul 11 2007 08:14 AM

I'm always amused by wackos on both the left and the right. The conservatives have one cable channel (Fox) and about three major papers and you complain that the media is dominated by "right-wing" hackery.

The only media where conservatives dominate anything is in the radio business. I'll definitely give that one to you. The left can't even begin to compete there.

The lesson here: Moderation...it's a good thing.

Down with both parties.

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bigbrother writes:
on Jul 11 2007 08:16 AM

I think Moore actually makes some valid points not least of which that the cable news system is broken, however that said, I also think it's pretty obvious to anyone who knows that he has a gift for skewering the facts toward his arguments. I don't base that off any of the "facts" from his film or Gupta's. I base that statement on the fact that I've sat in emergency rooms and hospitals in Canada, the UK, Germany and the US and while it did cost me more in the US, I also know I didn't have to wait as long and no one told me they were going to have to amputate my thumb after I hit it with a hammer like they did in the UK. I also know the UK and Germany (I haven't spent enough time in Canada to make an informed comment) get taxed out the ass. They have a tax on screens for your windows if that tells you anything. Not sure how much of that is specifically related to healthcare, but if it comes down to for me getting free emergency medical aid the once or twice a every couple of years I'm sick, which is generally covered by my companies or another affordable healthcare insurance or paying $4 a gallon more for gas when I fill my tank every 2 weeks I can tell ya which way I'm gonna go. That's just my take on it based on my personal experience. I'm sure someone with Terminal cancer will probably have a different view of the financing aspect, but to be honest I think if I have a terminal disease as well I want the best medical treatment possible regardless of cost and secondly I'm thinking when you look at it rationally the number of people who aren't getting treatment for their sicknesses is a lot smaller than the number of people who own cars or buy products from stores (Income tax). I credit Moore for calling out cable news. I think it's just sad that HE with his own baggage was the one who had to do it.

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lavatory love machine writes:
on Jul 11 2007 08:26 AM

it's a very good indication of the state of the media that people seem to trust jon steward and stephen colbert more than whoever on CNN

it's funny how people who disagree with moore say that those other countries are drrowing in a pool of taxes to pay for systems like that, when actually it cost them about 10% of the what the states spends a year on the war in irak

of course some might considerer that an inverson since you get a lot of money in return with the oil they are stealing (but those profits are not going to the taxpayers) and consider put money on health care a lost, since the benefit is "only" humanitarian

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Artanis3 writes:
on Jul 11 2007 08:50 AM

Yea well cable news is going downhill. Quickly too.

It's good that Moore brings out all these different issues with both his documentaries and his interviews. Even though I admit he sometimes skews the facts and "selectively" analyzes his data, it's good that someone brings these issues out into the open so that people can discuss them and decide for themselves where they stand on them.

But yea, CNN has been getting worse and worse, the only thing I even watch on it anymore is Anderson Cooper 360.

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IMAmoose24 writes:
on Jul 11 2007 09:19 AM

In reply to this comment (#919828)
Well put. The only form of media that the right wing has is radio. Television and newspapers/magazines belong to the left. Stop being so greedy left wing. Let us right wingers have our fun with the radio. The person who said that the media is right wing driven obviously has no idea what he/she is talkng about.

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sharpless writes:
on Jul 11 2007 10:27 AM

Moore is a dick, but so are the networks. Everyone deserves a good raking, here.

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Loserman writes:
on Jul 11 2007 10:37 AM

[b]24-Hour "News" Networks[/b]
What I've never understood about these cable news channels is that despite running all day and night, they have time constraints. They should never have an excuse of "I'm sorry, we're running short on time..." Everything seems so rushed and so dependent on soundbites, when it should be the complete opposite in comparison to the network news programs. Why not have a longer segment where real issues are seriously discussed (not softball interviews a la L. King), but not run like a yelling circus like found on those ridiculous Hardball or Hannity shows. They're more interested in giving more broadcast time to the titilating, like "Catch A Predator". I remember the days when news programs delved deeper and we're not dictated by ratings, commercials, etc.

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Loserman writes:
on Jul 11 2007 10:45 AM

In reply to this comment (#919832)
Didn't you mean to write "The person who said that the media is left wing driven obviously has no idea what he/she is talking about"? Cuz if not, that's HEE-LARIOUS!

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bobtom writes:
on Jul 11 2007 11:23 AM

liberals... funny to listen to

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Ron_Burgundy writes:
on Jul 11 2007 12:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#919832)
Liberal bias in the media is a myth. Pure and simple.

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Bane Of Anubis writes:
on Jul 11 2007 12:09 PM

In reply to this comment (#919837)
Like the moon landing and the heliocentric theory?

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1985yo writes:
on Jul 11 2007 01:20 PM

cnn=crap

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South_park300 writes:
on Jul 11 2007 04:11 PM

Did you know Michael Moore is filled with ham? Literally!

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piscesdreams writes:
on Jul 11 2007 06:28 PM

Someone else say the word 'raking'

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bribios writes:
on Jul 11 2007 06:44 PM

In reply to this comment (#919833)
Seriously, and this presents me with kind of a problem for this story. I don't like Michael Moore because the guy is more of a liberal propagandist then a documentary maker, and I don't like cable news channels, since they are full of alarmist blow hards that are somehow supposed to pass for journalists. I just wish that both news programs and documentaries could go back to providing information without opinion or an imbalance of perspective. I guess that doesn't pull in viewers though.

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the-russian writes:
on Jul 11 2007 10:22 PM

I haven't seen Sicko, but someone who has, tell me, didn't CNN f*ck up there? They said, that Moore said in the film, that Cuba has better health care than the U.S. I thought the point was that he was taking people to Gitmo, which is completely seperate from Cuba (it's a U.S. naval base), that offers all this free/thorough medical care for captive terrorists that are being held there.

I'm at a crossroads w/ Moore here. As much as I love the guy for bringing attention to all these important issues, and not being afraid to call people out on their mistakes, and being one of the few genuinely "good guys" out there, I hate him for his partisanship. In a previous interview w/ him, he mentioned how Hillary Clinton used to be such an outspoken advocate for an end to the privatized health care system, and that eventually the HMOs and insurance companies got to her, and paid her off, so she'd keep quiet, and how now those same companies are some of her biggest financers. In this interview, however, he seems to sugarcoat that fact. He makes it sound as if she was forced to shut up, that they "stopped her cold," that she was "unceremoniously removed from the agenda," that "she hasn't been able to talk about this;" WTF? They paid her to keep quiet. She chose to accept their bribes, she sold out, and he makes it sound like it wasn't her fault.

The guy would be a God in my book if he just gave up this bias. Also, he doesn't even BEGIN to tap into how bad the news media is when it comes to these issues (the war in particular). To really see how far down that rabbit hole goes, you need to check out the documentary "War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death."

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DarthTall writes:
on Jul 12 2007 12:58 AM

[b]America...@#&% yeah!![/b]
I missed the interview. Was Moore holding a hot dog in each hand and did he have mustard on his shirt? I'll look for it online if he blows himself up at the end of his latest self-important rambling. Way to back the wrong horse, Chubbs. Your fifteen minutes are almost up.

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darrinsgoodman writes:
on Jul 12 2007 07:43 PM

the depiction of michael moore in "team america" was dead on and that's all i'm saying. his documentaries are not as accurate as he would want you to be believe.

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