Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Tuesday, November 4, 2003
Steve Gorman

The network, which earlier this year sparked an uproar for broadcasting a TV movie about Adolf Hitler, denied that it was bowing to pressure, but said producers of the Ronald Reagan film biography failed to deliver a balanced portrayal of the 40th U.S. president.

Rather than air the four-hour mini-series as originally planned on Nov. 16 and 18, the height of ratings "sweeps," the network it had sold the program to Showtime, a subscriber-based cable channel with a fraction of the audience commanded by CBS. Both are owned by Viacom Inc.

"A free broadcast network, available to all over the public airwaves, has different standards than media the public must pay to view," CBS said. "We do, however, recognize and respect the filmmakers' right to have their voice heard and their film seen." A Showtime spokesman said "The Reagans" would likely air early next year.

The CBS decision drew an immediate denunciation in Washington from both ends of the political spectrum. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle told reporters on Capitol Hill, "It smells of intimidation."

Likewise, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie said moving the film to Showtime "does not address the central concern over historical accuracy."

"Misleading a smaller audience of viewers is not a noble response to the legitimate concerns raised about this program," Gillespie said in a statement.

Repeating demands the RNC had made of CBS last week, Gillespie said Showtime should allow a panel of experts "and people who know the Reagans" to review the program for accuracy before it airs, or run a disclaimer informing viewers that the film is a fictional portrayal of the former first family.

Political conservatives, reacting to snippets of the TV movie that have circulated in the media in recent weeks, have branded the dramatized biography of Reagan and his wife, Nancy, as part of a campaign by liberal Hollywood to smear his legacy. Some Reagan supporters had urged a boycott of CBS by viewers and advertisers.

FAIR AND BALANCED

Those close to the production, however, have defended the film as fair, balanced and well-documented, saying it showed both Reagan's foibles and his strengths.

CBS said its 11th-hour decision to cancel the mini-series was "based solely on our reaction to seeing the final film, not the controversy that erupted around a draft of the script."

The network added that the version of the movie delivered to it by producers "does not present a balanced portrayal" of Reagan and his wife, Nancy, and that subsequent changes that the network had considered "did not address those concerns."

Two weeks ago, CBS defended the production, saying the film "has been meticulously researched and offers a respectful and balanced portrayal of the Reagans." A network insider said that assessment was made before top executives at the network had seen the final product.

Showtime said it would collaborate with the filmmakers on a final version of the film to be shown in conjunction with an on-air forum "that will provide a dialogue for those who agree and disagree with its content."

The furor arose after the New York Times reported last month that the film portrays the Reagans in an unflattering light while omitting much of what Republicans and other supporters of the former president regard as his key achievements.

In one scene from the film's final script, Reagan says of AIDS patients, "They that live in sin shall die in sin." But there is no evidence he ever expressed those views.

Some Republicans also were incensed that Reagan, now 92 and severely ill with Alzheimer's disease, is played by actor James Brolin, who is married to singer Barbra Streisand, a leading Democratic activist in Hollywood.

Nancy Reagan is portrayed by Judy Davis. Both she and Brolin are self-described liberals, as are the two executive producers of the film, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, whose credits also include the hit film musical "Chicago."

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