Mary Mapes: The Movie

If I helped put a fraudulent news story on the air during an election cycle, I’d spend the rest of my days hiding under my desk or apologizing to anyone who’d listen - strangers on the bus, homeless people, etc.

But not Mary Mapes. The former CBS producer wrote a whole book on her connection to the “60 Minutes II” story on President Bush’s National Guard service.

Now, Hollywood screenwriters are circling her book, “Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power,” for a possible screen adaptation (hat tip: Newsbusters).

Does anyone without a political ax to grind think this project could make even close to a profit? It’s yet another example of Hollywood chasing its ideological tail while ignoring its audience.

I just wish Hollywood would be consistent. I’ve talked to plenty of smart, talented filmmakers who had to jump through hoop upon hoop to get their projects made. The studios wouldn’t touch their stories, even though they were often quite good. They won’t make a nickel, they told the filmmakers.

OK. We get it. Small, thoughtful indies don’t make money. But how can a studio greenlight a project like this? Only a small cadre of journalists and policy wonks will care about the subject matter, and even that subset is likely bored with this whole saga.