The best documentary on the economy

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun critiques the documentaries about the current economic turmoil from CNBC, Fox News and PBS and says that the one from PBS called “Inside the Meltdown” is “one of the finest hours of nonfiction TV that I have ever seen in 30 years of writing about the medium.”

Zurawik writes, “I have been ranting since September about the abject failure of TV journalism to explain how this nightmare came to be our new reality.

“Here’s what I wrote on my blog Sept. 29, the day after the House rejected the first Wall Street bailout proposal: ‘Does anyone at CNN remember how to report actual honest-to-God facts, context, reaction and then weave it into a presentation that helps the average viewer understand what is happening at this time of crisis?’

“The answer then for CNN and everyone else in TV journalism was a resounding no.

“‘Inside the Meltdown’ redeems the entire industry. This is as good as TV or any other kind of journalism gets.”

Read more here.