Frontline: The Betrayal Of Democracy

William Greider, author of Who Will Tell The People?, and award-winning journalist for Rolling Stone is the writer and host for this trenchant and moving examination of the "deepening divide between the governed and the governing." Scoping out the heartland, Greider hits the road talking to the proverbial man in the street, and everywhere he hears the same story: a) we don't trust our government, and b) we feel powerless to make a change. Charting the growth of the bureaucratic end of democracy, Greider wonders at what point did elected officials no longer serve their constituency. Looking for answers, he criss crosses the country, visiting former newspaper associates up north, attending legislative sessions down south, and monitoring the work of grassroots movements of concerned individuals on both east and wet coasts. Perhaps the most telling interview is one conducted with Bob Woodward of The Washington Post (Woodward of Watergate fame). When Greider asks Woodward about the difference between the days when newshounds sniffed out the stories and the current trend of the White House delivering packaged press releases, Woodward appears to be stumped. The scene would be quite funny, were it not for the fact that Woodward's confusion only reaffirms what we the people already know: namely that the folks in our nation's capitol couldn't find their tush with both hands and the FBI. The Betrayal Of Democracy easily gets my vote for the best and most invigorating investigation of what democracy means in our time. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (See The American Experience: The Quiz Show Scandal for availability.)