Frontline: In Our Children's Food; Frontline: L.A. Is Burning--Five Reports From A Divided City; Frontline: The Trouble With Baseball

Three new Frontline reports look at pesticide poisoning, race relations in L.A., and economic woes within the baseball community. In Our Children's Food, hosted by Bill Moyers, examines the now over two decades old controversy concerning the use of pesticides on farm crops. The program opens with a poignant interview, in which a woman who lived in a migrant farm workers community next to a pesticide chemical dump, talks about the results of an independent survey she conducted among her neighbors: cancer, physical deformities, skin rashes, hair loss, and other woes were the norm rather than the exception. Having effectively scared the bejeezus out of the audience, the video then moves on to the bureaucratic paper shuffle at the E.P.A. (where only 19 of the 620 pesticides on the market have been approved since 1972). The combination of oodles of red tape at E.P.A. and the foot-dragging of the major chemical companies who are conducting the studies are largely responsible for the huge backlog. But the real focus of the program is on an unpublished report from the National Academy of Sciences studying the possible harmful effects of fruit and vegetable pesticide residue on children. Implications of skullduggery and collusion between NAS and the chemical companies are hinted at, which make for good drama--particularly the charge that all of the major chemical companies refused to speak to Frontline (although, if you think about it, what could the companies possibly stand to gain in the face of clearly advocate journalism?). Reports of pesticide chemicals damaging the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems are alluded to (but neither the actual chemicals nor the exposure level are mentioned). In short, the program seems more interested in riling people up than in substantive reporting based on conclusive data. While rightfully raising an important issue, In Our Children's Food struck me as more dramatic than investigative. [Note: since the airing of the program, the NAS report has been released. The July 19, 1993 issue of U.S. News & World Report summarizes: "Fruits and vegetables are relatively safe, and could be safer, but are irreplaceably healthy. Eat up, kids."]L.A. Is Burning: Five Reports From a Divided City offers a trenchant examination of the turmoil that rocked the city of Los Angeles in late April of 1992 following the original Rodney King verdict. Five "reporters"--novelist John Edgar Wideman, professor Edward Chang, activist Susan Anderson, columnist Tim Rutten, and Ramon Martinez--look at the 72-hours of mayhem and destruction from the points of view of the black, Korean, Latino, and white communities. Reviewing the media footage of incidents like the beating of Reginald Denny, and going out into the streets to interview community members, each of the reporters brings a unique perspective to an attempt to understand what happened. The elevating series of anarchic events began when a political demonstration in Parker Square immediately following the verdict turned into, as one observer put it, a "macabre monster." That "monster" would engulf South Central, Pico Union, and Korea Town, leaving 800 million dollars worth of property destruction in its wake and claiming over 50 lives, before burning out short of the foothills of white suburban L.A., where the "haves" waited in horror. As the more astute observers have pointed out, the L.A. riot was as much about class conflict as it was about race. The verdict was the spark that lit the powderkeg of a deeply unsatisfied economic underclass. At the same time, the commentators readily admit that the riot was a showcase for the worse aspects of human nature: personal greed, mob violence, and posturing for the media. What is most disturbing is Martinez' observation that the "polarization is almost complete at this point" between L.A.'s various ethnic groups, coupled with the chilling fact that handgun sales have skyrocketed into a "private arms race" over the past year. The prognosis for the future is not very good. L.A. Is Burning goes far beyond simple reportage to look at the larger picture of race and class conflict in a congested urban setting in a country where "gun control" is still an oxymoron. The program's conclusions are far from comforting.The Trouble With Baseball is a thought-provoking look at how the nature of baseball, once the Great American Pastime, has changed over the past twenty years. Anchoring the exploration of the subject in the story of Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk's (formerly with the Boston Red Sox) troubled career, filmmaker Michael Kirk's examination begins with Fisk's legendary slam in the sixth game of the 1975 World Series. Shortly thereafter, baseball found a place in prime-time television, and clubs began receiving serious TV licensing money. The program traces the rise of television's monetary influence on the game and the concomitant birth of the free agent in baseball. With players able to move to different ball clubs, the bidding wars began, the result of which can today be seen in contracts like that of the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds, who recently signed a 6-year beauty for $44 million. Unfortunately, the smaller TV markets for clubs like the Milwaukee Brewers mean less buying power for good players, compared to Los Angeles or New York, where local TV bucks are huge. The Trouble With Baseball does a fine job of exploring the money-driven aspects of the game, including the current hot topic of possible Congressional intervention to break up America's "last monopoly," while looking at the major players--both on and off the field--who have made the game what it is and isn't today.In Our Children's Food is not recommended. L.A. Is Burning is highly recommended and an Editor's Choice. The Trouble With Baseball is highly recommended. (See AMERICA'S EDUCATION REVOLUTION for availability.)