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24: fearmongering?

January 17, 2007 10:17 AM

We took lengthy looks at the nascent presidential hopes of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on World News and Nightline and Good Morning America this ayem, and here's THE FREE VIDEO of it.

On Fox's action-packed drama 24 Monday night, terrorists detonated a suitcase nuke. Now some liberal commentators, such as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, are questioning whether this is part of a larger plan of some sort. The conservative Newsbusters.org NOTES THAT Olbermann last night asked "Is 24 propaganda? Is it fearmongering? Or is it a program-length commercial for one political party?" His argument seemed to imply that the show is "propaganda designed to keep people thinking about domestic terrorism to keep us scared?"

He also added that Vice President "Al Gore makes a movie about global warming and gets smeared as a fearmonger. Fox portrays a fictionalized America riddled with terrorists, which helps keep part of the real America convinced we might really be riddled with terrorists. And it wins five Emmies and two Golden Globes."

Um...well, 24 as you may know, details the life of counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer. This is a show planned and shot before 9/11 though obviously it has more resonance today. That speaks more to the fact that show creator Joel Surnow was paying attention to the fatwas of Osama bin Laden and the pre-9/11 terrorist attacks -- far more so than the rest of us were -- than anything else.

That's not to say the show doesn't have a certain conservative appeal -- as we discussed on NIGHTLINE last June.  (FREE VIDEO HERE).

But if you ask anyone in the field of terrorism, they will tell you their greatest fear is that terrorists sneak a suitcase nuke into the U.S.  I remember attending a pre-9/11 briefing by Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., who said it was his greatest concern (he was decrying the administration's lack of attention to terrorism and its focus on a missile shield.)

Why wouldn't a show focused on terrorism discuss this threat? After all, 24 has to constantly up the ante to keep its viewers coming back...

Personally, my biggest issue with the new season of 24 is the fact that KAL PENN (Kumar from "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle") plays an Islamic terrorist, and that WEIRD GUY from Ally McBeal plays one of the President's key aides.

- jt

January 17, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

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Very productive, Schmidtty. Kind of like you come crunch time of a big game.

Posted by: DKNY | Jan 17, 2007 4:12:06 PM

Mike - I am a liberal...I know terrorism exists...I also know that what the Administration is doing about it is not going to make it go away

Posted by: phillygirl64 | Jan 17, 2007 2:48:26 PM

Haven't you heard about the pissing war between Murdoch and Olbermann? The daily OReilly barbs. And a few months ago, I recall Olbermann got pissed about the New York Post (Murdoch owned) implying he was a sissy for seeking medical treatment following contact with a white substance, or something like that. Olbermann freaked. Venomous monologue followed. Ratings increased. Lather, rinse, repeat.

24 is on Fox. Ergo it's all about the pissing war. Jake, your argument is perfectly logical, and yes of course 24 should not tip toe around a well publicized threat. But logic is wasted on insecure ego cases. I like Olbermann, but the man's got issues. (Witness his private emails made public.) And emboldened by good ratings, Olbermann is not likely to end his anti-Murdoch vendetta any time soon.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Jan 17, 2007 2:30:20 PM

Everyone knows that liberals don't think that terrorism exists. It is all a mirage created by mean Americans. So, I guess it must be a conservative show.

Posted by: Mike Schmidt | Jan 17, 2007 1:11:45 PM

I'm afraid Mr. Olbermann is trying to find a conspiracy where none exists, and seems to be blurring fantasy with reality in his quest for commentary fodder. Let's reaffirm the distinction that "24" is a well-written, well-acted, suspenseful television fictional DRAMA as opposed to a real-life DOCUMENTARY. For those who seem to have forgotten, dramas can and do take liberties in their storytelling, doing many fantastic things that would ordinarily be impossible or improbable. Dramas also do not need to discuss both sides of an issue as would be expected in a documentary.

The latest "24" plotline reminds me of the 2002 movie from the Tom Clancy novel, "The Sum of All Fears," where a small nuclear device was smuggled into the US and detonated, obliterating Baltimore in the process. No outcries of fearmongering accompanied that movie, to the best of my recollection.

Posted by: chuck | Jan 17, 2007 10:45:39 AM

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