Postscript to the Michael Moore Discussion: The Email CNN Doesn't Want You to See

I had no intention to turn this into an all-Michael Moore blog, but the hits, as they say, just keep on coming.  This time it's CNN providing the fodder.

The other day I wrote:

The funny thing about all of this is that no nonfiction filmmaker gets put to the scrutiny that Michael Moore does.  It was big news last week when CNN did a fact check of SICKO (yes, that's right, CNN is so confident in it's own fact checking, that it's starting to outsource) and declared it "Mostly Accurate".

Cut to last night and the live, televised (pick one) showdown, smackdown, heated exchange between Michael Moore and Wolf Blitzer.  CNN aired a repeat of a report by CNN's medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta which questioned figures that Moore uses in SICKO.  Moore is livid, which depending on who you're reading these days, was either a triumphant moment (see Agnes Varnum) or the rantings of a crazy person (see birthday girl Karina Longworth).  Both have YouTube of Moore's appearance up if you haven't seen it already.  Moore has lengthy repsonses at his own site.

More interesting to me, however, is what was posted tonight on the Huffington Post - an email from two weeks ago sent by a member of Michael Moore's staff to Sanjay Gupta's producers.  The email is in response to a fact check request sent by CNN in which the network asks for verification on the very points that Michael Moore now says were completely wrong in Gupta's piece.  Moore's staff not only corrects CNN, but they also provide sourcing:

There is much to say about what this email proves.  It certainly validates what I wrote above - that no nonfiction filmmaker is scrutinized in the way that Moore is.  Hell, no journalist is scrutinized the way Moore is (oh, but if they were).   

But beyond this - and beyond the fact that Gupta got certain things wrong about the movie (his own facts were wrong) - the larger point is that there's really not much daylight between Gupta's numbers and Moore's numbers.   Gupta says $6096 v. $200, Moore says $6,697 v. $229.  It seems that they are just looking at differing reports, but certainly not evidence of anyone falsifying information.

Yet CNN and Gupta claim the following:

""No matter how much Moore fudged the facts--and he did fudge some facts..."

I disagree with Karina, I don't think this is an olive branch, this is a declaration that Moore can be ignored because he "fudged some facts".   But what facts did he famously fudge?   And why did Gupta ignore the email from Moore's people - sourcing and all - which proved he was basing his numbers on actual factuals?

Was it because it was a better story, along the lines of the "Moore is not a journalist" trend?  Was it because, as Moore infers, Gupta is bought and paid for by his sponsors?  Was it laziness?  Either way, if he's right about nothing else (and even if his appearance last night bordered on the wild-eyed, which I'm not saying it did), CNN has plenty to answer for.

Comments

[Agnes Varnum]

I was thinking more than triumphant, it was hysterical to see Moore come unglued like that. It had a kind of Fox News in reverse feel. I think I'd call it a draw - Wolf handled himself pretty gracefully.

[Karina Longworth]

I wrote my post before the email leaked, but it did strike me that both sides were exploiting an inconsequential discrepancy in order to puff this up into a moral issue. Obviously, it was stupid for CNN to run a piece they knew contained inaccuracies, but I think at the end of the day, I agree with Agnes. I think both Moore and CNN got what they wanted out of this: attention. When was the last time the web was a buzz over something involving Wolf Blitzer?

[Pixie]

I agree with you, it would be WONDERFUL if everything at CNN was scrutinized the way Michael Moore's films are. They pass on government and military assessments of Iraq/Iran without one bit of scrutiny, yet when someone comes out with a film that presents our healthcare system in a not so pleasant light, well they're just all over that. Cowards.

[24/7]

I wonder....in which country will Mr. Moore get his much needed gastro bypass done? Cuba? I agree that no medical system is perfect. The real solution to fixing the medical problems of the country is to get insurance and frivolous lawsuits out of medicine!

[Inconvenient_Truth]

I agree with Dr. Gupta. I used to be a Michael Moore fan; but, having moved to Canada, my perception of him changed drastically because I saw him being the American voice of a great deal of anti-American rhetoric - whether factually based or not.

In Canada, about 40% of my paycheck went to taxes, the bulk of which was healthcare. So, healthcare is not free. Also, what Mr. Moore fails to note is that there are indeed longer waits in the Canadian system, especially if you need any type of specialized care (i.e., MRI, CAT scan, knee or hip replacement). He also will not tell you that some have died in Canada waiting 2-3 years for the operations, and 6+ months for the imaging tests. Actually, most Canadians drive to the U.S. to get the imaging tests quicker, as Canada has a federalized form of HMO and few have supplemental health plans. Too, working in the realm of mental health, well, suffice to say that once the money runs out (usually 5-6 months into the fiscal year) you are out of luck. And should I note that there is no legal equivalent to ADA (Americans with Disabilities requiring accommodations for those who are disable).

And the kicker to all of this is that Mr. Moore would be considered an irresponsible citizen in most Canadians eyes for allowing himself to be obese. He would regularly receive disapproving looks, socially excluded, and probably be the victim of employment discrimination(might I add with little or no legal recourse). He does not know this and glorifies the Canadian system because he does live in it.

[Cornelius]

It appeared to me as if Dr.Gupta was tense by his facial expression. He was definitely in a defensive posture.

One question that I would like someone to ask Dr. Gupta is; "Have you as a Doctor,Surgeon, ever been compensated or received any gratuities,gifts or any off the record compensation from any Corporation affiliated with the Health Care Industry, the most likely a nice high end vacation.

[Booger]

You need to check your own facts on the CNN fact checking fiasco. For example, Gupta said that Moore said $25 is what Cuba spends per capita. Moore said $251. That's much bigger than what you say in your post. Bottom line with me is there is no one new source we can trust anymore. How sad that the only way to get real news might be from the Jon Stewart show. The first sign of the end of democracy is corporate manipulation of the media.

[AJ Schnack]

Forgive the clarity error on my post, Booger. The point I was trying to make was that Moore (via the email sent by his staff) told CNN that the World Health Organization stated Cuba spent $229 per person. Gupta claimed to find another report that stated Cuba spent $200.

You are right that Gupta was wrong in the first place to claim that Moore said Cuba spent only $25 per person. This is a major error that should have been corrected before the report ever aired.

I was trying to make the point that beyond that initial error (which should have been corrected even if they hadn't received this email with sourcing), Gupta and CNN attempted to make hay over slight differences in figures, even though each had sourcing for their numbers. It's a petty way to claim that someone is "fudging facts". The reality, to paraphrase Karl Rove, is that each person was entitled to their own set of facts - or in this case, their own reports.

Thanks for clarifying.

[idlehanz]

"that no nonfiction filmmaker is scrutinized in the way that Moore is" - you really need to compare apples to apples here. Moore is not a nonfiction filmmaker.

That being said there is probably no fiction filmmaker scrutinized like Mr. Moore, but he invites because he needs the publicity to make money. It is the Madonna principle (controversy sells) applied to filmmaking.

[AJ Schnack]

Moore is indeed a nonfiction filmmaker. He may not be a documentary filmmaker, but in terms of how we define nonfiction (go into any bookstore and see for yourself), nonfiction includes opinion pieces.