As I sit here doing my civic duty and emailing ABC to demand that they fix the mess they've created with their slanted, politically motivated "The Path to 9/11" mini-series, this thought occurs to me. "I wonder what Steve Jobs thinks about all this?"
After all, Steve is now a board member of The Walt Disney Company. I believe he's owns more stock in the company than anyone else. He might even become CEO of the company some day.
Steve is working very hard at to turn the iTunes store into a place when you can buy (and then download) motion pictures, starting with those produced by Disney.
You get the picture. How Disney is perceived by the public matters to Steve.
Now, I have no idea how Steve voted in recent elections or what his party affiliation is. But I'm pretty sure Steve thinks about not just Disney's but his - and Apple Computer's - reputations a lot. As such, I think it's safe to say that when people think of everything associated with "Steve Jobs", Steve prefers that that think of truth rather than lies. After all, the very nature of Apple computers is that they have a "this fulfills the true promise of what a computer is" quality to them. (ie they are easy to use and almost crash-proof, thanks to OS X)
So, here's my open letter to Steve Jobs:
------------------------------------------------------------
Steve,
If ABC goes ahead and broadcasts "The Path to 9/11" as a "true account based on the 9/11 Commission's Report" mini-series - even though it is filled with untruths - this will hurt your reputation. You will now be associated - indirectly, but still associated - with lies. It might even hurt Apple's reputation, since Apple customers might wonder "Why didn't Steve do something while there was still time?"
Now, perhaps you've been too busy in the last few days to notice this gathering storm. If that is the case, then I hope this message gets to you!
Steve, it's not too late for you to pick up the phone, call Robert Iger, and tell him to fix this mess! Personally, I suggest you tell him to re-edit the film, deleting the offensive scenes. If he asks you "Which scenes?", tell him to ask Richard Clarke.
But even if all he agrees to do is put disclaimers before, during, and after the film (disclaimers that say "This is a work of fiction and not meant to accurately portray how Presidents Clinton or Bush or their staffs really acted) - I think you will be doing a lot of good for yourself, your company, and YOUR COUNTRY.
Please, Steve, pick up the phone and make this call.
Thanks for listening.
PS I've been using Apple computers since 1986. Great machines. Have never once lied to me.