MOYERS MOVES ON

The departure of Bill Moyers from "Now" -- tonight will be his last broadcast -- is a huge loss for mainstream television journalism and the nation. His views on truth and journalism, as noted in June, are more striking than ever:

In earlier times our governing bodies tried to squelch journalistic freedom with the blunt instruments of the law: padlocks for the presses and jail cells for outspoken editors and writers. Over time, with spectacular wartime exceptions, the courts and the Constitution struck those weapons out of their hands. But they've found new ones now, in the name of "national security."

His warnings that the TV news networks "have raced to the bottom" are so familiar by now that they've become a commonplace. But Moyers takes the point further, which is typical of him, by pointing out that we must "nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country, or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

The good news is that "Now" will continue with David Brancaccio taking charge. Brancaccio is excellent and has terrific accomplishments. But without Moyers's influence at PBS, you have to wonder how long the show will last.