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The Nation July 28 - August 4, 1997 It's not a work of art like "4 Little Girls", but William Gazecki's documentary Waco: The Rules of Engagement does a nice job of muckraking. And it has this in common with Spike Lee's film: It reveals how much was hidden under simple tags, like "cult leader David Koresh" and "siege of the Branch Davidian compound." I can suggest three instructive purposes for the film. You can use it to teach basic arithmetic: Have young people count the instances when officers of the government trampled on the Bill of Rights. You can turn the picture into material for an M.B.A. program, showing future managers the benefits of inattention. (When you want something ugly done, your underlings will sometimes carry out the job on their own while you look the other way, leaving you fresh and clean. Ask Janet Reno.) And of course the film deserves a place in the curriculum of every school of journalism. Facing the equivalent of a federally-convened lynch mob, the Branch Davidians appealed to reporters to act as witnesses and go-betweens. By failing to step forward--let alone think about what was happening before their eyes--the majority of journalists helped define as unreasonable any protest over the episode. That left only the unreasonable to protest--a happy outcome for the microphone-wavers and press-release rewriters, who have enjoyed many months of easy employment on the Timothy McVeigh story. You might be able to think of even better uses for Waco: The Rules of Engagement. Perhaps you'll look for it at a screening near you, or inquire about video cassettes in care of the producer, The Fifth Estate, at (310) 289-3900. © 1997 The Nation

 


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