Stolen Honor
Stolen Honor | |
---|---|
Directed by | Carlton Sherwood |
Written by | Carlton Sherwood |
Starring | Carlton Sherwood |
Production companies | Red, White and Blue Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 45 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Stolen Honor is a 45-minute anti-
The production company's website states that "Stolen Honor investigates how John Kerry's actions during the Vietnam era impacted the treatment of American soldiers and POWs. Using John Kerry's own words, the documentary juxtaposes John Kerry's actions with the words of veterans who were still in Vietnam when John Kerry was leading the anti-war movement."[1]
Red White and Blue Productions
Stolen Honor was a project of Red, White and Blue Productions, based in
Interviewees
One of the ex-POWs interviewed in Stolen Honor is USAF Col. (ret.) Kenneth Cordier, who was dismissed from his role as volunteer member of the 2004 Bush campaign veterans steering committee after it was noticed that he had appeared in the second
In October 2004, one of the Marine veterans shown in the film, University of Delaware professor Kenneth J. Campbell, sued Sherwood over his depiction in the film.[10]
October 2004 media controversy
In early October 2004, it was reported that Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns television stations in nearly one-quarter of the United States, had ordered all of its stations to air Stolen Honor in the days leading up to the November 2 presidential election.[11]
These news reports touched off a media firestorm. According to television critic Alessandra Stanley, formerly of The New York Times:
Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, the highly contested anti-Kerry documentary, should not be shown by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. It should be shown in its entirety on all the networks, cable stations and on public television. This histrionic, often specious and deeply sad film does not do much more damage to Senator John Kerry's reputation than have the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's negative ads, which have flooded television markets in almost every swing state. But it does help viewers better understand the rage fueling the unhappy band of brothers who oppose Mr. Kerry's candidacy and his claim to heroism. ... [T]his film is payback time, a chance to punish one of the most famous antiwar activists, Mr. Kerry, the one who got credit for serving with distinction in combat, then, through the eyes of the veterans in this film, went home to discredit the men left behind." She also said that Stolen Honor's imagery "is crude, but powerful". She also made clear however, that Stolen Honor had various "distortions... intended to hurt Mr. Kerry at the polls".[12]
The news of the possible Sinclair broadcast was followed by various complaints that such a broadcast would violate the "
When questioned about this contention, then current
A spokesperson for Sinclair said that the airing would be followed by a panel discussion, which Kerry would be asked to join. The Kerry campaign declined the invitation. Sinclair did not accept an offer from Michael Moore for free a broadcast of his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.
Sinclair's then Washington bureau chief,
It's biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election. For me, it's not about right or left—it's about what's right or wrong in news coverage this close to an election.
Shortly after making this statement to the newspaper, Lieberman was fired.
Reception
Mark Nevins, a spokesman for the
According to conservative commentator Deroy Murdock, "It presents POWs who argue that John Kerry's fallacious spring 1971 claims that U.S. atrocities occurred "on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command" amplified their agony under America's North Vietnamese enemies."[17]
Reacting to reports that Sinclair was to air Stolen Honor shortly before the election, members of the United States Congress asked the FCC to consider the legality of the planned broadcast.[18] The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. As this controversy made the news, with a number of Sinclair advertisers pulling their ads and Sinclair stock dropping 17% in eleven days,[19] Sinclair announced that it had never intended to air Stolen Honor in an hour slot in the first place, indicating that it might instead show clips of the video in a discussion panel format. Ultimately, Sinclair broadcast 4 minutes of excerpts from the film.
In October 2005, Sherwood sued John Kerry and Kerry's Pennsylvania campaign manager, Anthony T. Podesta. The suit alleged that the defendants defamed Sherwood by stating in a "widely circulated e-mail" that Sherwood [is] "a disgraced former journalist" who "crawled out of the gutter". It also alleged "conspiracy and interference with contractual relations". Podesta responded that Sherwood "had his 15-minute Andy Warhol moment last year. Maybe he wants another."[20] On August 3, 2006, Sherwood's lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge.[21][22]
References
- ^ "Stolen Honor: Documentary". Archived from the original on 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2005-08-18.
- ^ "Stolen Honor: Contact Us". Archived from the original on 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2005-10-26.
- ^ "Republican National Lawyers Association - (RNLA)". Rnla.org. Archived from the original on 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2005-08-19.
- ^ "Dallasobserver.com | News | Basic Instinct". Archived from the original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2005-10-27.
- ^ "Charlie Gerow - $22 raised, '04 election cycle, Pennsylvania (PA), Republican Party, Congress". Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ "Personnel Announcement". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
- ^ Koppelman, Alex (18 June 2008). "The return of Larry Sinclair". Salon.
- ^ "MediaChannel.org | Frontline: Reverend Moon II". Archived from the original on 2002-06-16. Retrieved 2002-06-16.
- ^ "Bush Campaign Chief Outside Lawyer Resigns". Washingtonpost.com.
- ^ Zernike, Kate (19 October 2004). "Ex-Marine Sues Over Portrayal in Kerry Film". The New York Times.
- ^ "This story is no longer available - Washington Times". Washingtontimes.com.
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (21 October 2004). "An Outpouring of Pain, Channeled via Politics". The New York Times.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-10-21. Retrieved 2004-10-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Sinclair Fires Critic of Plan to Broadcast Anti-Kerry Film". Washingtonpost.com.
- ^ a b "Beyond 'Fair and Balanced'". Rolling Stone. 24 February 2005.
- ^ "The Daily Times - News - 09/10/2004 - McMahon: "A story that had to be told"". Archived from the original on 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2004-09-26.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-09-26. Retrieved 2004-09-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Dems ask FCC to probe Sinclair's showing of anti-Kerry film - Oct. 12, 2004". money.cnn.com.
- ^ "David Smith". Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2005-10-27.
- ^ "Philadelphia Daily News - 10/05/2005 - Journalist sues Kerry for slander". 19 December 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2005.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Lawsuit Against Sen. Kerry Dismissed; CBS News; Dan Collins; August 4, 2006
- ^ Martin, Douglas (21 June 2014). "Carlton A. Sherwood, Reporter Behind 2004 Kerry Film, Dies at 67". The New York Times.
External links
- Official website
- Stolen Honor at IMDb