CNN delves into King's death

'Black in America' series leaves no stone unturned

BY VERNE GAY | verne.gay@newsday.com

April 3, 2008

The show: "CNN Presents: Black in America"

When/where: Tonight at 9, CNN

You should watch because: Lots of reasons, including the presence of (Smithtown's own) Soledad O'Brien, who's been off morning duties for many months working on this; in addition, "Black in America" - all-O'Brien-anchored-and-reported - is a six-hour report on the state of black Americans. The next two programs will air in late July.

What it's about: Tonight's launch is a detailed look at the assassination of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. - 40 years ago tomorrow - with eyewitness accounts, and a clear-eyed look at the many conspiracy theories that have spawned and flourished in the wake of James Earl Ray's death in 1998. O'Brien and CNN seem (or at least seem to want to) check under every rock, then replace the rock firmly back on the ground, whenever the "evidence" appears flimsy or circumspect. "He was killed before his dreams could come true," says O'Brien, who adds that "even his closest aides say the full story has yet to be told. We'll try." And how. Indeed, there is much more here about the mysterious "Raoul" - whom Ray fingered as an accessory - and it is amazing to hear Andrew Young repeat that even he believed the FBI and possibly even the U.S. military had a role in the murder.

The bottom line: There is much, much here that is already known - even well-known - but the program is so skillfully produced, and O'Brien is so even-handed and sober that the whole production feels fresh and particularly compelling. It - and she - give the conspiracists their due, but she doesn't hand the store over to them either. It's a fine program. A couple of quibbles: Why was Jesse Jackson interviewed for the series but didn't appear in this installment? (Jackson will appear in the July programs.) And, what exactly does this 40-year horror story have to do with what CNN calls its look at the "state of African Americans" circa 2008? Emotionally - symbolically - a great great deal. I wished, though, that CNN had tried to connect those particular dots with a little more care and insight.