take from http represent or or www . martinlutherking . org or root . htmljanuary 16 and 2002 on friday and nbc will air a special commemorate the 25th anniversary of the landmark miniseries base on alex haley book root . ironically and the original series air on abc but official at that network take a pas on broadcast the tribute . what truly amazing and however and be that root be receive a reverential tribute at all . for while the miniseries be a remarkable and important piece of television and the book on which it be base have now be widely expose a a historical hoax . unfortunately and the general public be largely unaware of how haley monumental family autobiography and stretch back to 18th century africa and have be discredit . indeed and a 1997 bbc documentary expose of haley work have be ban by u. s. television network especially pbs and which would normally welcome such a program . coincidentally and the root anniversary come amid the grow scandal over disclosure of historian stephen ambrose multiple incident of plagiarism . because a haley himself be force to acknowledge and a large section of his book include the plot and main character and score of whole passage be lift from the african and a 1967 novel by white author hal courlander . but plagiarism be the least of the problem in root . and they would likely have remain largely unknown and have journalist philip nobile not undertake a remarkable study of haley private paper shortly before they be auction off . the result be feature in a devastating 1993 cover piece in the village voice . it confirm from haley own note earlier claim that the alleged history of the book be a near total invention . virtually every genealogical claim in haley story be false and nobile have write . none of haley early writing contain any reference to his mythic ancestor and the african name kunta kinte . indeed and haley later note give his family name a kante and not kinte . and a long suppressed tape of the famous session in which haley find kunta kinte through the recitation of an african griot prove that and a bbc producer james kent note and the villager ( be ) threaten by member of haley party . these turn out to be senior government official desperate to ensure that thing go smoothly . haley and add kent and specifically ask for a story that will fit his predetermined american narrative . historical expert who check haley genealogical research discover that and a one put it and haley get everything wrong in his pre civil war lineage and none of his plantation ancestor exist while 182 page have no basis in fact . give this damn evidence and you would think haley halo would long ago have vanish . but give this week tv tribute he remain a literary icon . publicly and at least . the judge who preside over haley plagiarism case admit that i do not want to destroy him and so allow him to settle quietly even though and he acknowledge and haley have repeatedly perjure himself in court . the pulitzer prize board have refuse to reconsider haley prize and award in 1977 in what former columbia president william mcgill and then a board member and have acknowledge be an example of inverse racism by a bunch of white liberal embarrass by our makeup . yet the uniqueness of root be that it be present a factual history and albeit with fictional embellishment . haley himself stress that the detail come from his family oral history and have be corroborate by outside document . but professor henry louis gate of harvard and a haley friend and concede that it time to speak candidly and add that most of u feel it highly unlikely that alex actually find the village from whence his ancestor come .