THE WASHINGTON POST EDITORIALLY BLASTS FAIR GAME

One month after it was released, Summit Entertainment’s Fair Game has become fair game for the Washington Post. Generally regarded by conservatives as a bully pulpit of the left, the Post editorially accused the filmmakers of engaging in “Hollywood myth-making.” It went on: “Hollywood has a habit of making movies about historical events without regard for the truth; Fair Game is just one more example.” The movie, it said, “is full of distortions — not to mention outright inventions.” The editorial has touched off a backlash. FoxNews.com, generally regarded as aligned with the right, commented that the Post “may want its movie reviewers, news team and editorial board to get on the same page before publishing conflicting accounts of history and Hollywood’s take on it.” It pointed out that the newspaper’s film critic gave the movie a glowing review and that its own reporters, who covered the Joe Wilson-Valerie Plame case on which the movie is based, concluded: “The movie holds up as a thoroughly researched and essentially accurate account — albeit with caveats.” In the left-leaning HuffingtonPost.com, Larry C. Johnson, who describes himself as an expert on terrorism, disputed the Post‘s assertions, and concluded: “It is the essence of irony that the Post‘s editorial page, which acquired a reputation of journalistic courage for pursuing Richard Nixon’s abuses of power, is now using that platform to act as the chief apologist for George W. Bush’s ill-conceived and unjustified war in Iraq by attacking people like Joe and Valerie Wilson.”