Ted Koppel On DIscovery - Great Journalism And Great Television

ABC Nightline is but a shadow of what it once was, now that Ted Koppel has moved to the Discovery Channel. Last night he proved what good journalism is capable of in a special entitled, "The Price of Security". It was part documentary and part town hall meeting and it was all great television.

The show asks the question that is the real elephant in the room, "How much freedom are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of security?" The answers were not bumper sticker slogans or pap, but thoughtful stories on both the security issue and the abuses of power it has produced, including the saga of a Canadian citizen, who was illegally detained by the FBI, spirited away to Syria to a CIA "Black Site" and tortured for months before being released. He had done nothing, was guilty of nothing and his life was forever altered by our countries actions. Maher Arar, was the man, and his family had no idea where he was for 10 months. The Canadian government finally managed to have him released and his story was sobering. Contrary to Bush’s assertions, he was tortured and detained in inhumane conditions in a cell the size of a grave for 24 hours a day. How he managed to retain his sanity is a testament to human endurance.

Beyond that story the town hall meeting form featured people from both the administration and other officials including ACUL representatives, and members of the 9/11 victims families. There was no shouting or interruptions, only civil discourse. The answers given by the government people were evasive as usual, but the comments of Tom Ridge, former Homeland Security Chief were less veiled. He stated that we had gone beyond the limits of what could be expected to insure our safety and must reexamine what we are doing in this regard. All but the Bush appointees had grave reservations about the wiretaps and other illegal activities going on in the name of safety.

Overall it was unbiased, and a stunningly good program. I sincerely hope more people watched it than the ABC Fake-u-drama Political Ad "The Path to 9/11". Good job Ted, keep it up!