Frontline

Hammered Bush for 8 years, made Obama look like a prince for 8, and now... Trump could cure cancer and these producers would find a way to put a negative spin on it.

PBS's Frontline has been a source of both information and enlightenment. It's one of the shows that is sorely not advertised enough because it's on public television. They show an unbiased, objective point of view regarding any issue, situation, or circumstances. One of the episodes is about climbing Mount Everest in May 1996 where several experienced climbers died after reaching the summit, a rare accomplishment for anybody. In fact, watching the documentary makes me want to climb it even though I would never get past first camp where you have to spend 3 weeks to get accumulated to the thin air. Everybody in the documentary regarding the climb on Mount Everest comes across as real and authentic. For those of us who would never make it to Everest, this documentary allows us to experience through the people's voices and memories that come alive in their re-telling almost better than any film version.

It was nice to see more documentaries from PBS on Netflix. I chose to watch Frontline: To Catch A Trader and was immediately intrigued by the program. So, I decided to watch "Battle Zones: Ukraine & Syria," another Frontline documentary. After viewing that I went on to "Losing Iraq." It was then I found out that some episodes are heavily more bias than others, and "Losing Iraq" was one of those episodes. The documentary was filled with ex-Bush Administration and affiliates who lacked objectivity. Not only that but many facts or controversies were left out such as issues involving Dick Cheney and Halliburton or the legality of the invasion of Iraq. This episode of Frontline felt like pure propaganda.

It seems anytime a program bears witness to the unvarnished facts someone will spring up to claim it's a left leaning piece of biased commentary. What a shame. Frontline has always been a terrific place for clear, concise, information. All sides of an issue are raised and yet most often the subject (usually the antagonist) refuses to appear... only to cry "FOUL" immediately following the episodes air date. Getting into a snit afterwards does nothing to enlighten their point of view to the public and is a lame retort..

For over 30 years the series has tackled a broad range of topics with brave, thorough journalistic excellence and will be an informative legacy providing well researched facts about the issues of our century and will be a reliable reference for those living in the centuries to follow. I've especially enjoyed listening to that deep dispassionate, (yet somewhat sexy), voice of the narrator (Will Lyman) whose words convey a resonate gravitas. My favourite episode was the investigation into NFL head injury claims. It unfolded with all the suspense of a great film noir.... even though I knew nothing about the sport whatsoever!

FRONTLINE is always compelling television.

The systems and politicians didn't do enough for them despite the nice speeches. I appreciated seeing this perspective of the American story. It resonates strongly for so many of us. So many of us played by the rules and still came out with a basket half empty. Debt, poor health and expensive insurance and the only option for retirement is no retirement and continued working until the end. Regardless of how much we pay for taxes. I wish the best for all of us who are looking for options as we age. The American dream is now a hope to survive. Whe previously we had dreams of thriving and building legacies for our families.