Logo for The FRONTLINE Dispatch

The FRONTLINE Dispatch

FRONTLINE PBS, WGBH

FRONTLINE Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath sits down with series filmmakers for probing conversations about the investigative journalism that drives each FRONTLINE documentary and the stories that shape our time.

Copyright 2017 WGBH Educational Foundation

FRONTLINE Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath sits down with series filmmakers for probing conversations about the investigative journalism that drives each FRONTLINE documentary and the stories that shape our time.

Copyright 2017 WGBH Educational Foundation
59hr 14min
Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part Three: An “Invitation” for Jan. 6 ".
Listen to part three of The FRONTLINE Dispatch’s audio-only version of the documentary “Democracy on Trial.”
Thumbnail for "The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump (Full-length film audio track)".
Listen to an audio-only version of FRONTLINE's documentary 'The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump'
Thumbnail for "Behind ‘South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning’".
Kim Tong-hyung and Claire Galofaro of The Associated Press and filmmaker Lora Moftah discuss ‘South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning.’
Thumbnail for "Investigating the Rise of the Far Right in Germany".
Correspondent Evan Williams talks about the rise of the far-right AfD party in Germany, the threat of violent extremism, and the recent riots in the UK.
Thumbnail for "Bill Moyers on Three Decades Documenting 'Two American Families' With Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes".
Bill Moyers, Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes, the filmmakers behind ‘Two American Families: 1991-2024,’ talk about profiling two families in America’s Rust Belt over multiple decades and economic cycles.
Thumbnail for "Crisis on Campus (Full-length Film Audio Track)".
Thumbnail for "Netanyahu, America, & the Road to War in Gaza (Full-length Film Audio Track)".
Listen to full-length audio of FRONTLINE's recently updated documentary 'Netanyahu, America, & the Road to War in Gaza.'
Thumbnail for "The ‘Dangerous Assignment’ That Sent a Venezuelan Journalist Into Exile ".
Venezuelan journalist Roberto Deniz and director Juan Ravell talk about ‘A Dangerous Assignment.’
Thumbnail for "Inside the Investigation into Police Use of Force".
What a new investigation reveals about more than 1,000 deaths that occurred after encounters with police.
Thumbnail for "The Search for Ukraine’s Missing Children".
Filmmaker Paul Kenyon discusses ‘Children of Ukraine,’ an investigation into how thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken and held in Russian-controlled territory.
Thumbnail for "Investigating a Massive Online Leak of Government Secrets".
The journalists behind ‘The Discord Leaks’ on how a young Air National Guard member leaked classified documents online for months without detection — and the implications.
Thumbnail for "Stuck in a ‘Fractured’ System".
Investigating long waits for mental health care by defendants in North Carolina deemed too sick to stand trial.
Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part Four: Inside the White House on Jan. 6 ".
Listen to the final installment of The FRONTLINE Dispatch’s audio-only version of the new documentary “Democracy on Trial.”
Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part Two: A Pressure Campaign and a Warning".
Listen to part two of The FRONTLINE Dispatch’s audio-only version of the new documentary “Democracy on Trial.”
Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part One: A Blueprint For the Case Against Trump".
The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents an audio-only version of the recent documentary “Democracy on Trial.” Listen to part one now.
Thumbnail for "‘Democracy on Trial’ Director on the Roots of Federal Charges Against Trump".
Veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk on the roots of the unprecedented federal criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
Thumbnail for "Reconstructing the Uvalde Shooting Response".
Journalists behind “Inside the Uvalde Response” discuss how hundreds of hours of body cam footage and officer interviews reveal a chaotic police response to the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX.
Thumbnail for "Underage Workers in New England’s Seafood Processing Industry".
An investigation into underage migrant teen labor at New England seafood processing plants reveals flaws in the systems designed to protect them.
Thumbnail for "Documenting the Siege of Mariupol (re-release)".
Director Mstyslav Chernov and FRONTLINE editor Michelle Mizner discuss the making of “20 Days in Mariupol,” the award-winning new documentary from FRONTLINE and the AP.
Thumbnail for "The Big Dig, Part 1: We Were Wrong (GBH News)".
From GBH News, The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents The Big Dig, Part 1: "We Were Wrong."
Thumbnail for "Shattered Dreams of Peace: The Road From Oslo (Full-length Film Audio Track)".
Listen to the full-length audio from "Shattered Dreams of Peace: The Road From Oslo," FRONTLINE’s 2002 documentary on how the Israeli-Palestinian peace process begun at Oslo was derailed and ultimately undone by the dynamics of politics and violence on both sides.
Thumbnail for "Looking Back at the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal".
As this year’s baseball season ends, reporter Ben Reiter looks back on the lingering impact of the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.
Thumbnail for "From Russian Newspaper Editor to ‘Foreign Agent’".
‘Putin vs. the Press’ director Patrick Forbes, on chronicling the story of embattled Russian journalist and Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov.
Thumbnail for " Locked Up for Life After ‘Two Strikes’".
Examining the impact of Florida’s “two-strikes” sentencing law, with filmmaker Ursula Liang and reporter Cary Aspinwall.
Thumbnail for "Struggling for Breath in Coal Country (re-release)".
The Labor Department proposed a new rule that could limit coal miners’ exposure to a toxic dust called silica. We revisit the stories of miners whose lives were changed by black lung disease.
Thumbnail for "Documenting the Siege of Mariupol".
Behind the scenes of the award-winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol,” with director Mstyslav Chernov and FRONTLINE editor Michelle Mizner.
Thumbnail for "‘Dangerous Trucks’ on America’s Roads".
In “America’s Dangerous Trucks”, FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate deadly accidents involving trucks, and how regulators failed to act for decades.
Thumbnail for "Texas After Uvalde".
Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino USA and founder of Futuro Media, talks about examining the aftermath of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Thumbnail for "Age of Easy Money (Full-length Film Audio Track)".
Listen to the full-length audio from Age of Easy Money, FRONTLINE’s recent investigation into the Federal Reserve’s “easy money” policies.
Thumbnail for "For Women, ‘A Very Different Afghanistan’ ".
Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria on the end of the war in Afghanistan, and the return of harsh restrictions for women.
Thumbnail for "Documenting America’s 20 Years in Afghanistan".
Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria discuss “America and the Taliban” and look back on two decades of reporting in Afghanistan.
Thumbnail for "Behind the Bank Failures".
Bank failures, high inflation, rising interest rates — how did we get here? Correspondent James Jacoby joins the FRONTLINE Dispatch to talk about his timely documentary, Age of Easy Money, which examines the power and impact of the Federal Reserve.
Thumbnail for "A Year of War in Kharkiv, Ukraine".
A year after Russia began its assault on Ukraine, filmmakers Mani Benchelah and Patrick Tombola discuss their reporting on the battle for Kharkiv, and the impact of the war on civilians and first responders caught in the fight.
Thumbnail for "A.C. Thompson on Antisemitism and Right-Wing Extremism".
Longtime FRONTLINE correspondent and ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson discusses antisemitism, the challenges facing journalists who cover right-wing extremism, and the evolution of his work with FRONTLINE.
Thumbnail for "Behind the Explosive Investigation into Pegasus Spyware".
How FRONTLINE and journalists around the world investigated the powerful spyware Pegasus. A conversation with journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud of Forbidden Stories.
Thumbnail for "Putin’s Crackdown on Dissent Inside Russia".
Director Gesbeen Mohammad joins The FRONTLINE Dispatch to talk about the Russian activists and journalists who refuse to stay silent on the war in Ukraine.
Thumbnail for "Uncovering a Pattern of ‘Strategic Violence’ by Russia in Ukraine".
Inside FRONTLINE and The Associated Press's investigation of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine with reporter Erika Kinetz.
Thumbnail for "Evictions and the Pandemic".
How did a federal ban on evictions and billions of dollars in rental assistance play out during the economic turmoil of the pandemic? A conversation with “Facing Eviction” filmmaker Bonnie Bertram.
Thumbnail for "How American Democracy Reached a Moment of ‘Existential Crisis’".
Veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk talks about the new documentary “Lies, Politics and Democracy.”
Thumbnail for "The Disconnect: Season 2, Episode 1: The Toll".
The FRONTLINE Dispatch Presents: The Disconnect. In the first episode of Season 2 of the Texas Newsroom and KUT’s podcast all about the Texas blackout of February 2021, host Mose Buchele and colleagues examine the blackout’s impact on one Texas family, and the accuracy of the state’s official death count.
Thumbnail for "Investigating the Texas Blackout".
FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative partner, the Texas Newsroom, and Austin public radio station KUT examine the aftermath of the Texas blackout of February 2021.
Thumbnail for "Searching for Afghanistan’s Missing Women".
FRONTLINE correspondent Ramita Navai talks about investigating the Taliban’s crackdown on women for the new documentary Afghanistan Undercover.
Thumbnail for "J. Michael Luttig and Adam Kinzinger on Democracy and January 6".
Former federal Judge J. Michael Luttig and U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) talk about the time leading up to Jan. 6 and the importance of the House select committee hearings.
Thumbnail for "Coming soon: The Disconnect, Season 2".
Coming soon from FRONTLINE's partners in the Local Journalism Initiative, KUT/KUTX Studios, season two of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout.
Thumbnail for "Maria Ressa on Journalism and Democracy in the Philippines (re-release)".
With the inauguration of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as the next president of the Philippines, revisit a conversation with Maria Ressa: journalist, Nobel Peace Prize winner, founder of the independent Philippine news site Rappler and subject of FRONTLINE's 2021 documentary "A Thousand Cuts."
Thumbnail for "A 1967 Murder and a ‘Reckoning’ with the Truth".
"American Reckoning," a feature-length documentary from FRONTLINE and Retro Report, traces the life and death of Wharlest Jackson Sr., the history of Black resistance in his hometown and his family’s decades-long struggle for justice.
Thumbnail for "Covering Minneapolis in the Wake of George Floyd".
Since the murder of George Floyd two years ago, FRONTLINE's local journalism partner the Star Tribune has covered one of the most pivotal events in the history of race and policing in America. Editor Suki Dardarian joins us from Minneapolis to discuss the newsroom’s Pulitzer-winning reporting and “Police on Trial,” the new documentary from FRONTLINE and the Star Tribune.
Thumbnail for "Pulitzer Winner Corey G. Johnson on Tampa’s Lead Problem (re-release)".
A Pulitzer-winning investigation reveals that hundreds of workers at the Gopher Resource lead smelting plant in Florida were exposed to dangerous levels of lead in the air.
Thumbnail for "Inside Big Oil’s Push Against Climate Change Action".
The fossil fuel industry cast doubt on climate change for decades, even as the scientific evidence grew stronger and the warnings more dire. Investigative reporter Russell Gold joins executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath to discuss FRONTLINE’s three-part series “The Power of Big Oil.”
Thumbnail for "The Making of an Election Myth".
How did a stolen election myth make its way to the center of American politics? A.C. Thompson, correspondent, and Samuel Black, director and producer of the FRONTLINE and ProPublica documentary “Plot to Overturn the Election,” discuss how a handful of people have had an outsized impact on the current U.S. crisis of democratic legitimacy.
Thumbnail for "Julia Ioffe on Putin's Road to War".
Julia Ioffe, an American journalist who was born in Russia, discusses Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and what brought him, and the world, to this tipping point. "Because he is backed into a corner, he is the most dangerous he has ever been," Ioffe tells FRONTLINE in this excerpt of an interview with producer Mike Wiser for the documentary “Putin's Road to War,” premiering Tuesday, March 15, on PBS. Want to be notified every time a new FRONTLINE podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.
Thumbnail for "A Conversation with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa".
Journalist Maria Ressa, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner and the subject of the documentary "A Thousand Cuts," joined director Ramona S. Diaz and FRONTLINE’s executive producer, Raney Aronson-Rath, for a special conversation prior to the Nobel ceremony.
Thumbnail for "What the Pandora Papers Reveal".
How does the world of secret finance enable some of the globe’s richest and most powerful people to shield their deals and assets?
Thumbnail for "The Federal Reserve’s Big Experiment".
As the U.S. Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, confront concerns over inflation and the impact of the Fed’s pandemic-era policies, we take a deep dive into the country’s central bank, which financial journalist Dion Rabouin calls “the most powerful and least understood institution in the country.”
Thumbnail for "How Boeing's Flawed 737 Max Made It Into the Air".
What did Boeing know about the potential for disaster with its 737 Max passenger jet, and when did the company know it? Tom Jennings, director of the FRONTLINE/New York Times documentary Boeing’s Fatal Flaw, and Times reporter David Gelles detail what their findings reveal about the leadup to the two 737 Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
Thumbnail for "The Case of the Liberty City Seven".
Dan Reed (“Leaving Neverland”) discusses his new FRONTLINE documentary, “In the Shadow of 9/11,” the story of how seven Black men from Miami were accused of planning an Al Qaeda plot to blow up American buildings.
Thumbnail for "Sept. 11 to Jan. 6".
As the nation marks the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, the legacy of the terror attacks and their aftermath continues to unfold, from insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Thumbnail for "Introducing: Un(re)solved".
What prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate over 150 unsolved civil rights era killings? And what does justice look like for the families of the victims?
Thumbnail for "Policing the Police in Minnesota".
As Derek Chauvin’s murder trial nears its end and Minnesota roils over the killing of Daunte Wright, calls for police accountability continue. 
Thumbnail for "Poisoned: Tampa's Lead Problem".
For years, hundreds of workers at the Gopher Resource lead smelting plant in Florida were exposed to dangerous levels of lead in the air.
Thumbnail for "An Impeachment and An Inauguration".
The Biden administration is set to begin as America copes with a chaotic start to the new year: from an insurrection to a second impeachment of President Trump, all while the COVID-19 death toll reaches new heights. 
Thumbnail for "Chaos at the Capitol ".
A violent mob of President Donald Trump's supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, as Congress met to certify Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.
Thumbnail for "I'm Not A Monster: Episode 3".
How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate?
Thumbnail for "I'm Not A Monster: Episode 2".
How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate?
Thumbnail for "I'm Not A Monster: Episode 1".
How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate?
Thumbnail for "Capturing ‘American Voices’ in a Year of Turmoil".
When the pandemic hit, Dr. Blair Woodbury picked up the phone. He called his old friend, filmmaker Mike Shum, and urged him to get out and start recording the first draft of history. 
Thumbnail for "COVID-19 & the Medical Supply Crisis".
As COVID swept the U.S., why did hospitals face deadly shortages of PPE and other medical supplies?
Thumbnail for "Introducing: NOVA Now".
From the PBS science series NOVA, a biweekly podcast digging into the science behind the headlines.
Thumbnail for "The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden".
In this special audio presentation, FRONTLINE shares a podcast version of The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a new documentary interweaving investigative biographies of the two main-party presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with a focus on how they have responded in moments of political and personal crisis. 
Thumbnail for "Making "The Choice" ".
Before America votes, what can Biden and Trump’s responses to past crises — both personal and political — tell us about how they might lead the United States through a time of national turbulence? 
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: John Bolton".
As part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: Yusef Salaam".
As part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: Rudy Giuliani".
As part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: Valerie Biden Owens".
As part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: Carol Moseley Braun".
As part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "The Transparency Project: Mary Trump".
As part of Frontline’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates.
Thumbnail for "A Mother & Her Newborn Separated by COVID-19".
How the coronavirus separated a mother from her newborn baby, and the schoolteacher who stepped in to help the family in their time of need.
Thumbnail for "Essential and Unprotected".
They’ve been keeping America fed throughout the pandemic — and they say they’ve had to choose between their health and their jobs.
Thumbnail for "Bribing Doctors, Making Millions".
How a drug company made millions pushing an opioid painkiller up to 100x stronger than heroin, as many on Wall Street looked the other way.
Thumbnail for "Maria Ressa, Duterte & the Fight for the Free Press".
Days before an expected verdict in her trial, Philippine journalist Maria Ressa speaks out about reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war — and then becoming a high-profile target of his government’s crackdown on the press. 
Thumbnail for "Race, Police & The Pandemic".
As streets across America erupt into clashes over racism during the coronavirus pandemic, Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker examines a connection between George Floyd's death and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 deaths among African Americans: "the thing that ties them together is empirical evidence of a phenomenon that had been dismissed otherwise.” 
Thumbnail for "United States of Conspiracy".
As COVID-19 has spread, so, too, have misinformation and conspiracy theories about the virus — amplified by figures like Alex Jones
Thumbnail for "Life & Death in the Bronx".
In the Bronx, as the coronavirus is disproportionately killing black and Latino people, COVID-19 is swelling the ranks of the dead — and also upending how loved ones grieve.
Thumbnail for "A Midnight Rescue".
As COVID-19 ran rampant through the adult care facility, family members struggled to learn the truth.
Thumbnail for "Covering Coronavirus: Indian Country".
Native American communities were already dealing with underfunded health services. Then the coronavirus outbreak began.
Thumbnail for "A Tale of Two Washingtons".
What the feud between President Trump and Washington Gov. Inslee reveals about federal-state tensions in the coronavirus fight. 
Thumbnail for "Warnings to the White House".
Inside the Trump administration’s coronavirus response — and missed opportunities to contain COVID-19.
Thumbnail for "Covering Coronavirus: Athens, Ohio".
As schools close to help stem the spread of COVID-19, what happens to kids who rely on school meals to eat?
Thumbnail for "Covering Coronavirus: Cincinnati, Ohio".
To combat COVID-19, Ohio has a “stay at home” order — but what does that mean for families without homes?
Thumbnail for "Covering Coronavirus: Cremona, Italy".
A reporter’s emotional journey back to her homeland in Italy, now the global epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Thumbnail for "Covering Coronavirus: Seattle, Washington".
Lessons learned from Seattle — an epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Thumbnail for "Blood and Power in the Philippines".
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs has led to the deaths of thousands of alleged drug users and dealers. Yet he remains hugely popular. We investigate his rise to power.
Thumbnail for "Never Sentenced, Never Released".
Across the country, hundreds of people are in prison even though they weren’t convicted of the alleged acts that landed them there. Sometimes, they’re held for decades. Today, the story of one such man.
Thumbnail for "The Housing Fix (Rebroadcast)".
Millions of Americans can’t afford rent and only a quarter of those who need government help get it. What happens to everyone else? For many, it means they live in squalor. But figuring out who’s responsible is harder than you think. In this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan heads to Dallas where the city, low income residents and a prominent landlord sometimes described as a slumlord, become the moving pieces in a century-and-a-half old problem. This episode was done in collaboration with NPR.
Thumbnail for "The Boy in the Caravan".
A 15-year-old from El Salvador waits for his chance to cross the US border and ask for asylum. He’s trying to reach his mother on the other side.
Thumbnail for "Struggling for Breath in Coal Country".
In Appalachia, more than 2,000 coal miners are suffering from advanced black lung disease, caused by toxic dust in the mines. Reporter Howard Berkes spoke with dozens of miners with varying stages of the disease about how it has irrevocably changed their lives.
Thumbnail for "Update: Living With Murder".
In December 2017, after serving 30 years of his life sentence, Kempis Songster left Graterford Prison on lifetime parole. A lot has happened since then. He now lives in Philadelphia. He’s working, married and became a father.  One year after Reporter Samantha Broun and Kempis Songster stopped recording their conversations for the Living with Murder series, they return with this series’ update on what Kempis’ life looks like today. This story was produced in collaboration with the public radio website Transom.org.
Thumbnail for "Living With Murder: Part 1 (Rebroadcast)".
At 15, after committing a brutal murder, Kempis Songster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But now he has a chance to be free, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that found the sentences of thousands of inmates who, like Songster, committed their crimes as juveniles, to be unconstitutional. This episode produced in collaboration with Transom.org.
Thumbnail for "Living With Murder: Part 2 (Rebroadcast)".
At 15, after committing a brutal murder, Kempis Songster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But now he has a chance to be free, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that found the sentences of thousands of inmates who, like Songster, committed their crimes as juveniles, to be unconstitutional. This is Part Two of his story. This episode was a collaboration with Transom.org.
Thumbnail for "KIDS' SPECIAL: Muzamil's Day".
In this special episode for kids, FRONTLINE follows a day in the life of Muzamil, a 12-year-old Somali boy growing up Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee Camp. Producer Bianca Giaever and Reporter Roopa Gogineni bring him questions from American kids about what it’s like growing up in a refugee camp. Are there dentists? A fire department? What is your dreamland? Muzamil takes us through his daily life, answering questions from American kids along the way.
Thumbnail for "The Weight of Dust ".
Scott Gaines was a first responder on 9/11. When he retired a couple months later, he thought he’d escaped the aftermath unscathed. This time on The FRONTLINE Dispatch, a story about the lasting impacts of 9/11 – told by his daughter, reporter Amy Gaines.
Thumbnail for "I Don't Want To Shoot You, Brother".
A young black man was dead. A young white cop was quickly fired. If that sounds surprising, you don’t know the half of it. This is a shocking story about police and the use of lethal force. Just not the one you might expect.
Thumbnail for "Coming November 29th".
The second season of The FRONTLINE Dispatch launches on November 29th.
Thumbnail for "Living With Murder: Part Two".
At 15, after committing a brutal murder, Kempis Songster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But now he has a chance to be free, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that found the sentences of thousands of inmates who, like Songster, committed their crimes as juveniles, to be unconstitutional. This is Part Two of his story. It was produced by Samantha Broun and Jay Allison.
Thumbnail for "Living With Murder: Part One".
At 15, after committing a brutal murder, Kempis Songster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But now he has a chance to be free, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that found the sentences of thousands of inmates who, like Songster, committed their crimes as juveniles, to be unconstitutional. This is Part One of his story. It was produced by Samantha Broun and Jay Allison.
Thumbnail for "A Life Sentence: Victims, Offenders, Justice And My Mother ".
There are more than 2,000 people in prisons around the country who were convicted of murder as juveniles and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But recent Supreme Court decisions have found these sentences unconstitutional and set in motion a process for re-evaluating these “juvenile lifers.” To close out the first season of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, we have three stories about juvenile lifers. This first is the story of a violent crime committed by a juvenile lifer whose second chance went horribly wrong. It is an intensely personal documentary, but it carries far-reaching implications that extend into public life and into the heart of our political and correctional systems.This piece was produced by Samantha Broun and Jay Allison. It was originally made in 2016 for the public radio website Transom.org. Listen to it here: https://transom.org/2016/a-life-sentence-victims-offenders-justice-and-my-mother/. We are presenting an update to a version that aired later that year on This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/604/20-years-later. Next on The FRONTLINE Dispatch: the mini-series continues with two more stories about juvenile life without parole from producers Samantha Broun and Jay Allison.
Thumbnail for "Notes from an Invisible War".
Children describing the sounds that bombs make as they fall. Streets covered with rotting garbage. Doctors and nurses who have gone months without pay, at hospitals struggling to care for an influx of cholera patients and malnourished infants. In Yemen, two-plus years of airstrikes by a coalition being led by Saudi Arabia and receiving weapons and tactical assistance from the United States, have led to what the United Nations has called the “largest humanitarian crisis” in the world. FRONTLINE filmmaker Martin Smith and his team witnessed chaos on a rare trip inside the country, a peek inside a largely invisible war. Few foreign journalists are given permission to enter Yemen. “People are not seeing what’s going on. We’re talking thousands of civilian dead,” said Smith. “Notes from an Invisible War” was reported by Martin Smith and Sara Obeidat and produced for the podcast by Michelle Mizner and Sophie McKibben. The reporting for this story was done as part of an upcoming FRONTLINE special on the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Airing in 2018, the documentary will trace the roots of the Sunni-Shia divide, and explore how a proxy war between the two countries is devastating the Middle East. The FRONTLINE Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation Journalism Initiative. Major support for this story was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Henry Luce Foundation. For more in-depth reporting on the crisis in Yemen – visit pbs.org/frontline.
Thumbnail for "The Housing Fix ".
Millions of Americans can’t afford rent and only a quarter of those who need government help get it. What happens to everyone else? For many, it means they live in squalor. But figuring out who’s responsible is harder than you think. In this episode of the FRONTLINE DISPATCH, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan heads to Dallas where the city, low income residents and a prominent landlord sometimes described as a slumlord, become the moving pieces in a century-and-a-half old problem. This episode was done in collaboration with NPR.
Thumbnail for "Boom Town".
In 2016, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit the small town of Cushing, Oklahoma, severely damaging the town. Cushing isn’t the type of place that’s supposed to have such a problem with earthquakes. Until about 2009, they only had one or two a year. But in the last few years, tied to an increased use of wastewater disposal (a by-product of the oil industry) the number of earthquakes has risen dramatically, and now Cushing, along with much of Oklahoma, shakes hundreds of times a year. * Cushing is a major hub of American oil — known as “the pipeline crossroads of the world,” the Keystone XL and 13 other major pipelines run beneath it, and above ground, the town stores tens of millions of barrels of oil in its tank farms. Oil is the town’s economic lifeblood, and so the big quake, and the question of who to hold responsible for it, caused real division between neighbors. In this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, reporter Sandy Tolan goes to Cushing to find out how the earthquakes impact a town built on oil. This story was produced by Jamie York and Sophie McKibben. Find us on the web at pbs.org/frontlinedispatch
Thumbnail for "Child Marriage in America".
In the summer after 9th grade, 14-year-old Heather discovered she was pregnant. Her boyfriend Aaron was 24. At the time, marriage seemed like it could be a solution to their problems — and maybe a way to keep Aaron out of jail.  In this episode of the FRONTLINE Dispatch, reporter Anjali Tsui and producer Sophie McKibben go inside a battle playing out over child marriage in America. Anjali Tsui is an Abrams Journalism Fellow through the FRONTLINE/Columbia Journalism School Fellowships.  For more on child marriage in America – visit pbs.org/frontlinedispatch.
Thumbnail for "Coming September 14th".
Some stories are meant to be heard. A new narrative podcast from the producers and reporters of the PBS investigative documentary series FRONTLINE. New episodes biweekly. Subscribe now.

Democracy on Trial, Part Three: An “Invitation” for Jan. 6

Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part Three: An “Invitation” for Jan. 6 ".
February 23, 202439min 34sec

FRONTLINE investigates the roots of the federal criminal case against former President Donald Trump stemming from his 2020 election loss in a special audio version of the new documentary Democracy on Trial. 

In part three, the Jan. 6 Select Committee examines the pressures mounting on the Justice Department and then-Vice President Mike Pence to intervene on Trump’s behalf. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger recalls a phone call in which the former president tells him, “I just want to find 11,780 votes” — the number of votes needed to win the 2020 presidential election in the state. And the former president sends a now-famous tweet inviting supporters to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, to protest the results of the 2020 election, saying it “will be wild.” 

Tune in next week for the fourth and final installment of the audio-only version of the documentary here on The FRONTLINE Dispatch. Watch Democracy on Trial in full on FRONTLINE’s website, YouTube or the PBS App

Thumbnail for "Democracy on Trial, Part Three: An “Invitation” for Jan. 6 ".
Democracy on Trial, Part Three: An “Invitation” for Jan. 6
00:00
39:34