These three new entries from Frontline (in my opinion, the best series on television--whether commercial, public, or cable) once again remind us that committed, probing reportage, at its best, is one of the greatest services that we the people have available to us.
Frontline: The Resurrection Of Reverend Moon
The Resurrection of Reverend Moon is the story of a particular bad penny who has returned to haunt the American public. In the early 1980s, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon served a brief prison term for conspiracy and tax fraud, after having come to the public's attention as a robber of our children (who were brainwashed into being "Moonies") in his capacity as the leader of the Unification Church. Now it seems that Mr. Moon is back, and this disturbing documentary chronicles his rise to power and his massive contributions during the 1980s to the New Right. Flake or not, Moon owns the Washington Times, has funded a Goldwater-like film "One Incoming" (narrated by Charlton Heston, with a script by novelist Tom Clancy), and was and is no stranger to the Reagan and Bush administrations. A rabid right-winger, Moon's latest project, the American Freedom Coalition, is rapidly growing and gaining tremendous influence in the political sphere. The Resurrection of Reverend Moon raises interesting questions about foreign funds supporting both national media (Moon's newspaper) and national politics.
Frontline: The Secret Story Of Terry Waite
Produced by the BBC, The Secret Story of Terry Waite, made in conjunction with Waite's British homecoming after being held hostage in Lebanon for five years, explores the relationship between the renowned negotiator and our own infamous freedom fighter Colonel Oliver North. Was Waite a victim or co-conspirator? Ah, that is the question, and this program traces Terry Waite's trail as Anglican envoy whose success in negotiating the freedom of hostages in Beirut led to his being called upon for the American hostage situation in Lebanon--one of the principle legs in what would later emerge as the Iran-Contra scandal. During 1985-1987, Waite would make several trips to Beirut in his role (as he put it) as the "Archbishop of Canterbury's Kissinger"--negotiating for the release of the hostages. Following his growing involvement with North (who basically used Waite as a cover), the hostage situation improved (thanks to North's arms deals). Whether Waite knew about the arms deals is not confirmed; however, he must have known that the sudden success with freeing the hostages wasn't due to his negotiating. Still, after charges were made public linking Waite to North, Waite made a final trip to Beirut in January of 1987 as much to polish up his tarnished image as to do good works, and there he was taken hostage as an American spy. A brief interview with Oliver North who, not surprisingly, feels no sense of responsibility for Waite's captivity, is included and we all get to see that whipped puppy look one more time.
Frontline: Who Killed Adam Mann?
Carole Langer's Who Killed Adam Mann? is one of the most heartbreaking and maddening Frontline documentaries in recent memory. Five-year-old Adam Mann died in New York City on March 5, 1990 as the result of a severe beating administered by his stepfather Rufus Chisholm. The question in the title comes from the incredible mismanagement of the Mann family's case by the NYC Bureau of Child Welfare throughout the 1980s. Shockingly, this is not the first time the Mann family has appeared on a Frontline program. In a 1983 Frontline special by Carole Langer, the cameras travel to Michelle Mann's apartment where an emergency call from neighbors has sent a caseworker to investigate. The camera clearly records the bruises on the face of Keith Mann (brother of the as-yet-unborn Adam), yet the caseworker sees "no evidence" of abuse. Twelve days after the filming, Keith was admitted to the hospital with a broken jaw. Literally, dozens of times, Keith and his two brothers were admitted to the hospital with fractures. When Adam was born in 1985, Helen Henighan, a concerned caseworker who was familiar with the Mann family, was able to legally hold Adam at the hospital out of fear for his life. With the stipulation that Michelle Mann (whose rages over toilet training resulted in many of the Mann children injuries) enter a rehabilitation program at New York Foundling, she and Adam were rejoined. Discharged on September 18, 1986, BCW caseworkers were back at the Mann family's home on November 2nd of the same year. It is difficult to watch Who Killed Adam Mann? and not feel a growing sense of impotent rage over a system that allowed this kind of ritual abuse to continue. That rage is replaced by absolute shock when the results of the trial of Rufus Chisholm and Michelle Mann are revealed at the end of the program.
All three Frontline documentaries are highly recommended, and the moving, non-sensationalized, Who Killed Adam Mann? is an Editor's Choice. (See also, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, THE: BARNUM'S BIG TOP)