Three Documentary Series Investigates Key Issues Facing Democracy
NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Journalist Bill Moyers returns to
investigative reporting in October with three documentaries taking on
important issues facing the nation in the upcoming elections for control of
Congress. In Moyers on America, airing Wednesdays, October 4, 11, and 18 at
9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), Moyers and his team travel the nation
to report on political corruption, Christians and the environment, and
democratic access to the Internet.
On October 4, "Capitol Crimes" investigates the Abramoff lobbying
scandal examining the web of relationships, secret deals and political
manipulation that reveals the shadowy underbelly of American politics. On
October 11, "Is God Green?" looks at the significant implications of a
debate among politically powerful conservative evangelical Christians over
the handling of the environment. And on October 18, "The Net at Risk"
reports on if a few mega-media corporations get their way in Washington,
they could restrict the democratic possibilities of the Web's new future.
"We're looking at three issues that deserve to be at the center of the
debate this fall, not just because they are important topics, but because
together these stories reveal a powerful and sometimes disturbing picture
about how our government works," says Bill Moyers. "The way these issues
are playing out should serve as a wake-up call for citizens."
Moyers on America
"Capitol Crimes"
PBS Airdate: Wednesday, October 4 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). 120
minutes.
The fall of Jack Abramoff has exposed a huge web of corruption that
still remains vastly unreported by the broadcast media, even as prosecutors
continue to chase down leads and quiz insiders and witnesses. "It's a
dizzying scope of perfidy and politics that boggles the imagination, and
although Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay have been brought down, the system
remains as vulnerable as ever," says Bill Moyers. He and his colleagues
untangle emails, reports, interviews and facts on the record to provide
viewers with a coherent pattern of criminal and political chicanery. The
documentary is followed by a discussion led by Moyers with leading thinkers
about the possible solutions for America's political system.
Moyers on America
"Is God Green?"
PBS Airdate: Wednesday, October 11 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). 60
minutes.
A new holy war is growing within the evangelical community, with stakes
for the earth and American politics. For over a decade liberal Christians
have made the environment a moral commitment. Now some conservative
evangelicals as well are standing up for the earth as a Biblical imperative
of stewardship. From a dynamic conservative church in Boise, Idaho to an
evangelical activist group known as Christians for the Mountains in West
Virginia, grassroots believers are speaking out. So are some conservative
evangelical leaders at the national level who have called for action to
stop global warming. But they are being met head-on with opposition from
religious right political figures like Jerry Falwell and James Dobson, who
are pillars of the right-wing coalition that adamantly supports the Bush
administration in downplaying the threat of global warming. The political
stakes are high: three out of every four self-identified white evangelical
voters cast their ballots for George W. Bush in 2004. The program explores
how a serious split among conservative evangelicals over the environment
and global warming could reshape American politics.
Moyers on America
"The Net at Risk"
PBS Airdate: Wednesday, October 18 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). 90
minutes.
The future of the Internet is up for grabs. Big corporations are
lobbying Washington to turn the gateway to the Web into a toll road. Yet
the public knows little about what's happening behind closed doors where
the future of democracy's newest forum is being decided. If a few mega
media giants own the content and control the delivery of radio, television,
telephone services and the Internet, they'll make a killing and citizens
will pay for it. America's ability to compete in the global marketplace,
the unfettered exchange of ideas online, and broadband services that could
improve quality of life for millions are at stake. Some say the very future
of democracy itself may hang in the balance. In "The Net at Risk," Bill
Moyers and journalist Rick Karr report on the wannabe "lords of the
Internet" and examine how promises by the big tel-co companies of a
super-high speed Internet in return for deregulation and tax breaks have
gone unfulfilled while the public has paid the price. After the
documentary, Moyers leads a discussion on media reform to explore the real-
world impact of deregulation on communities and citizen participation in
democracy.
Moyers on America is supported by an extensive companion Web site at
http://www.pbs.org/moyers where visitors can interact, give feedback, and
participate in an online workshop designed to inform, engage, and spark
public discourse on the issues presented in the documentaries. After the
broadcast, each episode will be available in its entirety for viewing
online.
Moyers on America is funded by the Park Foundation and our sole
corporate funder Mutual of America Life Insurance Company.
Press materials and photos available for download at
http://www.pbs.org/pressroom. Screeners and transcripts upon request.
Press Contacts:
Rick Byrne Diane Domondon
Public Affairs Television Public Affairs Television
212.560-8406 212.560.8530
byrner@thirteen.org domondond@thirteen.org
SOURCE Public Affairs Television
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Related links:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers
CONTACT:
Rick Byrne, +1-212-560-8406,
byrner@thirteen.org, or Diane Domondon, +1-212-560-8530,
domondond@thirteen.org, both of Public Affairs Television
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