The Path to 9/11 is a docudrama that closely depicts the events leading up to 9/11. Produced in 2006, the miniseries aired to epic ratings of over 28 million viewers and remains one of the most extensive films on the events leading to September 11. Yet The Path to 9/11 quickly led to a political battle.
Following the original viewing of the miniseries, representatives from the former Clinton Administration protested the release of the film, declaring outright slander, lack of facts, and a bias portrayal:
Former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright called one scene involving her “false and defamatory.” Former national security adviser Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger said the film “flagrantly misrepresents my personal actions.” And former White House aide Bruce R. Lindsey, who now heads the William J. Clinton Foundation, said: “It is unconscionable to mislead the American public about one of the most horrendous tragedies our country has ever known.”
Despite defending the production—admitting the film is a docudrama, not a documentary—in the end, ABC edited several controversial scenes before its original airing. Amidst cries of freedom of expression, the channel then pulled the miniseries altogether, ensuring that the film was neither re-aired nor released to DVD.
Come join The Heritage Foundation at 1 p.m. September 7 in a special screening of The Path to 9/11 and see the controversial film that caused a former presidential administration to shut down the release of a public miniseries.
