In its premiere broadcast, Frontline investigates the underbelly of the NFL--the secret connections between professional football and the world of sports gambling and organized crime.
On the morning of November 3,1979, five civil rights demonstrators were killed by a group of Klan and Nazi Party members in Greensboro, North Carolina. Correspondent James Reston, Jr.,investigates the role of a police informant who was with the group when the attack was planned and when it was carried out.
Frontline correspondent Charles Cobb journeys to a Washington, DC that tourists rarely see. The nation's capital, seventy-five percent black, faces widespread poverty, yet it is run by some of the civil-rights movement's most effective and militant organizers, including Mayor Marion Barry.
For thirty-four years, those who fled to Taiwan in the wake of the Communist victory have had only their memories and fantasies of mainland China. Now they want to know much more, and a political struggle is underway to determine how Taiwan will relate to the mainland.
In 1982,a man was discovered hanging from a bridge over the Thames River in London. He was Roberto Calvi, head of Italy's largest bank and chief advisor to the Vatican's bank. Reporter Jeremy Paxman investigates Calvi's links with the Vatican and with P-2, a secret Italian society, and questions whether his death was really a suicide.
Frontline investigates the power of the Pentagon as a business and economic force in the domestic economy. Politicians find themselves chasing Pentagon dollars for the jobs those dollars create in their districts; scientists and universities find themselves dependent on the military if they want to do research in many high-tech areas.
Frontline looks beyond the cliches and stereotypes in the debate over gun control. Visiting prison inmates, victims of gun crime, and the sharpest minds on both sides, Frontline explores the underlying fears that make gun control such an emotional issue.
Kojo Odo, a 42 year-old single black man, took in his first child a decade ago-a 7 year old boy with his arm missing. No one wanted the youngster. Each of Odo's 21 children came to him with a physical or mental handicap. Frontline looks at the daily life of this remarkable family and Odo's battle to keep the family together.
Before Gorbachev and glasnost, three young Americans journey to the Soviet Union on a whirlwind two-week, six-city debating tour. They encounter young, articulate Russians whose world view is completely contradictory to their own.
Daisy is 55 and terrified of growing old. She feels she needs a facelift. From the moment of her decision, Frontline follows her through all the procedures, but the heart of the story is an exploration of values, character, cosmetics, and the business of plastic surgery.
Before President Reagan introduced Star Wars, Frontline examined how in the previous 25 years the US and the Soviet Union had gone from designing satellites to designing weapons to blast them out of the sky. The superpowers were converting space from an arena for communications, to a concept of space as 'high ground,' the battle area to control.
For the first time on American television, Frontline's cameras record the most intimate details and one of the most personal decisions a woman can make. By focusing not only on the clinic, but also on a right-to-life doctor who pickets the clinic every Saturday, the film becomes a revealing study of people confronting their most deeply held values.
Rhodesia, a symbol of white racism, has become Zimbabwe and white minority rule has given way to black majority rule. However, the end of the guerilla war may not mean an end to fighting. Correspondent Charlie Cobb finds a rift between the nation's two black leaders that threatens to split the country along tribal lines.
Frontline investigates the frightening aftermath of one of the worst air disasters in U.S. history-the June 9, 1982 crash of Pan Am flight 759 at the New Orleans airport. The report discovers how human greed and legal machinations over hundreds of millions of dollars bring new horror to survivors and victims' relatives alike.
Only seven years after Mao's death, it is clear that China is undergoing another revolution. This is a revolution of political and social relaxation. Frontline explores what has been retained and what has been rejected from the days of the Cultural Revolution.
For eight years, Rafik Halabi covered the West Bank and Gaza strip-the only Arab reporter working in the Hebrew section of Israeli Television. This is Rafik's story-a story in which his identity and loyalty became a national controversy.
Frank Kaler's story begins simply enough when he requests a water test. Why? Because his children develop skin lesions after bathing in it. Frontline chronicles Kaler's six-year battle with local and federal officials over the chemical pollution of his drinking water.
Frontline tells the story of five days in the fall of 1982 when more than 150,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. for the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial. Parents, friends, and survivors came to the emotion-filled event reflecting the pain and conflict many still feel about that war.
When a national recreation site between Cleveland and Akron was first mandated by Congress in 1974, everyone applauded the project. But Frontline found that park policies of condemning hundreds of businesses and homes soon generated intense local opposition as well as charges that the homes of politically influential citizens were being spared.
During the previous decade, 100,000 Russians came to America to live. Here they found a more difficult freedom than Americans might imagine. Frontline's portrait of this emigre community reveals the conflicting values which underpin American and Soviet societies.
Frontline investigates the Reagan administration's effort to remove tens of thousands of people from the Social Security disability rolls. Disabled people face personal hardship and bureaucratic indifference as they take their cases to the courts and to Congress.
In 1983, El Salvador was a nation where murder and torture were an everyday occurrence, a place where loved ones disappear and truth remains elusive. Frontline interviews government soldiers, rebels, and noncombatants to find out why the killing continues.
Frontline follows the journey of a Guatemalan family through the 'new underground railroad' and considers the plight of the people who seek refuge from governments allied to the United States.
Developing countries have borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars from Western banks. Some of the biggest borrowers, Brazil and Mexico,are struggling even to repay the interest. Correspondent Anthony Sampson finds that threats to repudiate the loans are causing American bankers to fear financial catastrophe.
Klaus Barbie, a hated Nazi war criminal, was returned to France in 1983 to face justice. But some Frenchmen were worried that he would reveal embarrassing evidence about French collaboration, and some Americans feared that he would talk about his postwar work for U.S. intelligence agencies.
Most Americans regard health care as a social responsibility undertaken for the common good. We assume government and charity programs will allow for everyone with serious health problems-no matter how poor-to be provided treatment. Frontline examines how many investor-owned, for-profit hospital chains are aggressively marketing themselves to treat only the insured, or wealthy patient.
The industrial might of Japan has taken the U.S. by storm as American corporations begin to adopt the Japanese style of management, stressing worker involvement in a family-like corporate environment. Frontline looks at the darker side of Japanese labor relations through the tough management style of the Nissan Motor Company in Japan and Smyrna, Tennessee.
Frontline looks at the conflict in Northern Ireland through the eyes of Irish Americans who support the IRA and its strategy of violence. Frontline cameras follow Michael Flannery through his day as Grand Marshal of New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade and then back to Ireland to the spot where Flannery participated in an ambush on British troops some 50 years ago.
Television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart's weekly ministry was seen by over two million people in big cities and small towns across the U.S. and Canada. But of the tens of millions of dollars he raised through his appeals, only a tiny portion actually went into charity work. Several years before his fall, Frontline investigated whether the money these modern revivalists raise goes to do God's work or to keep the preachers on TV. Should the government regulate religious fundraising?
On the eve of the 1984 New Hampshire primary, Frontline presents the first of four national election reports. Correspondent Richard Reeves takes a behind-the-scenes look at the presidential candidates and the political reporters who cover them, examining the story behind the story and who writes it.
A terrifying look into the mind of mass murderer Kenneth Bianchi, who killed two women in Bellingham, Washington, and was one of the Hillside Strangler murderers in Los Angeles. Yet, he almost escaped punishment for these crimes because he convinced a group of experts that he had multiple personalities and was not mentally competent to stand trial.
Part 2 raises serious questions about the use of psychiatric evidence in criminal proceedings. Kenneth Bianchi convinced experts that he had multiple personalities and was mentally unfit to stand trial for his crimes. Before Frontline cameras, Bianchi is unmasked and is proved to be an accomplished faker.
This special election report focuses on Birmingham, Alabama, which was a key battlefield in the black struggle for civil rights in the 1960's. Now, 20 years later, Birmingham is one of the new battlefields for a mature black political movement. Frontline correspondent Richard Reeves examines black political power today and the struggle for the heart and soul of the black voter.
Much of the debate over the role of the U.S. in Central America focuses on this tiny nation about which filmmaker Ofra Bikel says 'we know so much, but we know so little.' In this report, Bikel takes us into the heart of El Salvador to examine the politics and the people the U.S. government supports there.
Many young men, especially many poor blacks in the nation's cities, dream of making it big by playing basketball. Charlie Cobb looks at some who make it-and many who will not-and at many of the issues in high school and college sports today. College recruiters seek the best of them, promising an educations in exchange for play. But 75% never get a college degree because, as this film suggests, colleges are too busy with their big-time sports programs to be concerned with educating their players.
Horse-racing is American's number one spectator sport. In 1982, more that 77 million people wagered almost $12 billion at the nation's racetracks. Frontline gives an insider's look at the 'sport of kings,' focusing on tracks at Belmont, NY, where the rich indulge their interest in racing, and at Great Barrington in Massachusetts where infirm horses run for purses that can barely pay the feed bill.
Frontline profiles Navy Secretary John Lehman and the growing debate inside the Navy establishment to build a multibillion dollar fleet which critics say may not be able to fight the kind of wars the nation would be most likely to fight.
In 1984, Los Angeles had the worst gang problem in the nation, and more than 1,000 people were killed in gang violence during the previous three years. More than half of those killed were not gang members but residents who were murdered or were caught in the cross fire of gang warfare. Frontline explores what LA is trying to do about its gang problem.
National attention has focused on hunger in America after a presidential commission and several private advocacy groups reported new findings. Frontline looks at what those commissions saw-and did not see-in this examination of both the human story and the political environment surrounding the issue of hunger.
Frontline examines the ethical arguments over the use of animal testing in American laboratories, hospitals, and medical schools. Some animal rights groups have even broken into labs to steal research animals. But many scientists say that eliminating or severely restricting animal testing means an end to medical progress.
From the lonely, early days of presidential ambition, through the months of promise, to the day of denial, Frontline follows the 1984 presidential campaign of Gary Hart, revealing presidential politics as it has never before been seen on television.
The bittersweet story of four unforgettable people who flee repression in Poland to find a better life in Chicago. They succeed, fail, fight, love, laugh, and confront an America unlike anything they had ever imagined.
As more women are voting and running for elected office, have the changed the face of American politics? Through the eyes of women as different as UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick and vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro, correspondent Judy Woodruff looks at women and politics in 1984.
It could never happen to you. One day it happened to Farrell Stallings. After 28 years at the same job, he was laid off-a victim of the recession. Now he's broke, afraid, and at the mercy of the welfare system. Frontline follows him into the maze of the bureaucracy.
Two men, a Palestinian and an Israeli, born thirty miles apart, journey to America. In synagogues and universities, on television talk shows and interviews, they try to project a message: that a solution for the West Bank is possible.
Frontline goes inside the hospitals where every day doctors, lawyers, and parents face the agonizing choice: how far do we go with medical treatment for infants born so physically and mentally damaged that they have no hope of leading normal lives? Several intimate case histories are examined, as are the politics of recent legal decisions and government rules relating to the medical care for critically ill babies.
In one of the first comprehensive reports broadcast in the U.S., Frontline presents the searing reality of the famine in Ethiopia. In desert camps described as 'the closest thing to hell on earth,' nearly 100 children, old people, and the infirm were dying every day. They were dying while the US and the Soviet Union argued over how to feed them and what to do about Ethiopia.
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. On the fifth anniversary of the invasion, Frontline correspondent Richard Reeves reports from Afghanistan and Pakistan, examining the stalemate in the Persian Gulf and the pressure placed on Pakistan to accept over one million Afghan refugees.
Marshall High School is one of the poorest in Chicago-both academically and economically. But it is fighting back, trying desperately to upgrade academic standards and to make a difference in the lives of it students. Frontline looks at the struggle to salvage Marshall High and the lessons this school has for a nation trying to improve its public schools.
Frontline takes a rare look inside the new Vietnam, 10 years after the fall of Saigon and the US pullout. While the Vietnamese celebrate their victory, the countryside remains scarred and war-torn. Frontline examines the legacies of the longest and most unpopular war in American history on the country where it was fought.
Seventy-two year-old James Hawkins,Sr. has turned his home and business into an armed camp. Living in the Watts section of Los Angeles, Hawkins is fighting gang members who live across Imperial Highway. It's a war being fought on the streets and in the courtroom between gang members and the Hawkins family.
The trial of gang members accused of conspiracy concludes this special two-part report. Through interviews in prison and inside the housing project where they live in the Watts section of Los Angeles, gang members talk about gangs and why they form, and the threat they pose to ordinary citizens.
He was a convicted murderer. She was a prison volunteer. They fell in love. Frontline follows the story of Ron Cooney, who tries to work his way through the prison system to parole from a life sentence, and Lesley Earl, the woman who wants to help him go straight.
Over a million cases of child abuse were reported in 1984-and the figure is growing. Frontline follows a dedicated group of case workers from the Emergency Children's Service of New York into homes where they confront violent parents and battered children.
Professional boxing is one of the most popular and profitable sports in America. It can also be fatal. Frontline goes inside the world of fighters, promoters, and fans who love the sport-and critics who say it should be banned.
They went to keep the peace. But 241 died-caught in a military and political cross fire. One year after the pullout of American Marines from Lebanon, Frontline correspondent William Greider examines the decision and asks: Where should Americans die, and what should they die for?
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh presents his first television investigation for Frontline. After six months of work, Hersh uncovers the story of a Pakistani businessman who tried to ship electrical devices which can be used as nuclear bomb triggers out of the US to Pakistan.
Almost 20 years ago, the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, a teacher in a small town in Iowa tried a daring classroom experiment. She decided to treat children with blue eyes as superior to children with brown eyes. Frontline explores what those children learned about discrimination and how it still affects them today.
Every two years, a desire to represent their home districts in Washington brings a group of first-time freshmen congressmen to the nation's capital on the shores of the Potomac river. Frontline follows two newly elected representatives from their homes to Washington where they experience the rewards-and the frustrations-of making the transition from citizen to congressman.
From the Spanish-American War in 1898 until the 1950's, US preeminence in Central America and the Caribbean was never successfully challenged. Part 1 looks at these turbulent years that set the stage for today's crises-from the glory days of building the Panama Canal, through the early US Marine occupation of Nicaragua, to the Cold War crisis in Guatemala in 1954, which resulted in the CIA's first 'covert' war in the region.
The Cuban revolution of the 1950's was the first successful challenge to US preeminence in the Western hemisphere. Part 2 looks at the roots of the revolution, Fidel Castro's rise to power, the establishment of the first Communist state in the Americas, the support for his revolution abroad, and Cuba's troubled history with the United States.
In 1979, the Sandinistas led a revolution that overthrew the Somoza dynasty which had ruled Nicaragua for almost 50 years. It was a revolution the US first tried to prevent, then tried to court, and later tried to undermine. Part 3 traces the evolution of US involvement in Nicaragua and the struggle for control of the revolution.
Many Americans had never heard of El Salvador until a few years ago. It is now the focus of American policy in Central America. Part 4 traces the evolution of El Salvador's civil war and the US policy toward El Salvador.
Experts estimate there are at least four million child sexual abusers in the US, and they do not fit our stereotypes. Almost half of those guilty of incest also molest children outside the family. Many also commit adult rape-and they come from every social background. Should they be treated, punished, or both? Frontline examines a controversial Seattle, Washington, program aimed at treating child sexual abusers.
One in four American citizens is Catholic, yet few seem to agree with-or follow-every doctrine and practice of their church. Frontline examines the conflicts within the American Catholic Church and its ongoing struggle with the Vatican.
Frontline examines the complex relationship between the US Army, its fighting doctrine, the American people, and the government in an effort to understand the army's role in fighting modern wars.
Forty years ago, Allied troops invaded Germany and liberated Nazi death camps. They found unspeakable horrors which still haunt the world's conscience. Frontline presents the world broadcast of a 1945 film made by British and American film crews who were with the troops liberating the camps. The film was directed in part by Alfred Hitchcock and is broadcast for the first time in its entirety on Frontline.
You go to rent an apartment and are turned down without any obvious reason. Then you find out your name is in a computer file of undesirable tenants and every other landlord in the city has access to the information. Correspondent Robert Krulwich investigates computerized information systems and the issues of privacy they raise.
Americans over the age of 75 are the fastest growing segment of the nation's population. Many have spent all their lives planning carefully for retirement. But they find their savings destroyed by nursing home care and federal programs for medical costs covering much less than they ever thought. When they turn to their families for help, difficult emotional and financial choices must be made.
In 1984, there were more bank failures in the US than at any time since the Great Depression. Correspondent Judy Woodruff investigates one of the largest banks that failed, Penn Square in Oklahoma City, and another which nearly failed, Continental Illinois in Chicago, to examine the implications on the nation's banking system.
While the whole world watched, 52 Americans were held hostage in Iran by Islamic revolutionaries for 444 days. On the fifth anniversary of their release, using never-before-seen footage from inside the American embassy compound in Tehran, the hostages tell the story of their long ordeal.
For many doctors, practicing medicine has become a nightmare. Today, one out of every six American doctors faces a malpractice suit. Frontline takes an inside look at the fierce battle developing between doctors and lawyers over medical malpractice suits.
The children of Chester, Pennsylvania are plagued by poor health, malnutrition, drugs, and family problems. Half of them live below the poverty line. Frontline follows them through the maze of social service programs available to them and discovers what it is like growing up poor.
A unique look at the Soviet Union through the eyes of Americans as they attempt to escape the confines of a carefully managed Russian tour. They elude their government guides and search for their fellow man on the streets of the Soviet Union.
Life-long smokers who say their health has been destroyed by cigarettes are suing tobacco companies. Frontline correspondent Judy Woodruff takes an inside look at the preparation of these massive lawsuits, concentrating on a suit that would later reach the Supreme Court as well as presenting the emphatic denials of the tobacco industry, which says smoking is a simple question of personal choice and responsibility.
Half of all American marriages end in divorce. Using unique access to mediation and court proceedings, Frontline profiles the couples, the lawyers, the judges, and most poignantly, the children caught between parents.
Eight months before the Iran-contra scandal broke, Frontline investigated the contras, probed the legality of private aid, and asked questions about the role of the White House and a mysterious Marine colonel named Oliver North.
Fabian Bridges, a homosexual prostitute, bragged he had sex with six partners a night and refused to stop even though he knew he had AIDS. In a special broadcast, Frontline first follows Bridges' tragic journey across the US and later, a panel of national experts, led by Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson, discuss how Americans should respond to this urgent public health issue.
Political violence is breaking out in northern Mexico. Frontline documents the growing unrest in Mexico caused by fixed elections, corruption, violence, and the widening gap between Mexico City and the more conservative border states.
For the first time on American television, Frontline cameras move inside a jury room to record the deliberations in a Wisconsin criminal trial. The results yield a view of 12 Americans grappling with guilt, innocence, and the nature of justice as never before seen.
For more than a year, Frontline has been behind the scenes with congressmen and lobbyists covering the deals, dollars, and politics of tax reform. Correspondent William Greider investigates how Washington really works as seen through this exclusive access to the inner circles of Congress.
Former budget director David Stockman gives an exclusive interview to correspondent William Greider on what has been called 'the greatest free lunch fiscal policy' in modern times.
Frontline and Nova combine resources for the first time to explore the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program contains the most comprehensive information on Star Wars ever produced. Correspondent Bill Kurtis interviews Russian and American scientists, arms-control experts, and politicians to reveal the scientific and political implications of what could become the world's most sophisticated military technology.
Hollywood is called an industry, a place, a state of mind. But making it in Hollywood, and making movies, persists as part of the American dream. In the real world of agents, casting directors, aspiring actors, and studio executives, how are movies made? Frontline examines the fantasy and reality of Hollywood's five billion dollar a year industry.
A high percentage of men on the frontlines in Vietnam were young, poor, undereducated, and black. By most accounts, they had the highest casualties. But these young men say they were fighting two wars-against the enemy and against discrimination. Correspondent Wallace Terry, the author of 'Bloods,' the national bestseller on which this film is based, talks with black veterans who fought discrimination in Vietnam and who later confronted disillusionment when they came home.
Millions of Americans are mentally ill. They live in a world that is fragile and often frightening. Inside a halfway house in St. Paul, Minnesota, Frontline examines mental illness from the point of view of those who struggle with it as they fight their psychological demons and confront the social stigma of their disease.
Frontline correspondent John Laurence examines the background of the Islamic Revolution, the roots of radical Shiism and reveals why Iran's war with Iraq is an important step in spreading their brand of Islam throughout the world.
England is a country divided. One in five workers in northern England is unemployed, while in the south of the country, power, privilege prevail. Ofra Bikel explores Britain's social structure, cultural values, and attitudes toward enterprise and work.
The Supreme Court ruled against a Memphis firefighter who successfully fought for an affirmative action plan for the hiring of fellow firefighters in 1984. As a result, the Justice Department asked 50 cities to tighten their affirmative action policies. Correspondent George Curry examines the 20 year conflict over these policies and reveals the point of view of those whom it affects.
Rita Tikhonova, 21, is a model Russian citizen. The lifestyle and ambitions of an outstanding Young Communist League member in Moscow are depicted as she completes her education at a prestigious school and begins her first teaching job.
For four months every year, Mikhail Kuzakov and his son, Yuri, leave the comforts of home for the Siberian wilderness, where they hunt on horseback for sable and other valuable fur animals. Frontline examines life in the taiga and follows the hunt of father and son.
Sergei Kuryokhin is a popular Russian jazz and rock musician who is disapproved of by the state because his music is difficult to control. Made without the permission of Soviet authorities on a home video camera, Frontline takes a look at the Soviet music subculture and this one talented musician.
Frontline examines the differences in Soviet and Western justice systems as it contrasts the lives of Tamara Russo, a 50-year-old hospital orderly on trial for theft in Soviet Moldavia, and Lyubov Bubulic, the female judge presiding over Russo's case.
Abdugaffar Khakkulov is a master craftsman of Uzbek heritage who for 35 years has been restoring the great Islamic mosques in Samarkand. Frontline examines daily life in a Muslim community and explores the uneasy relationship between Islamic faith and Soviet power.
Frontline gained unique access in filming the inner workings of the local government system in Nakhodka, a town six thousand miles and seven time zones from Moscow. Here, Frontline profiles the workaholic lifestyle of Tatyana Naumova, a communist zealot and town official in Nakhodka, and the tensions it creates with her husband, who cares for their two daughters.
Frontline profiles the lives of players on a factory soccer team in the southern Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan as they fight for the town championship.
Svyatoslav Nilolaevich Fyodorov is an outspoken and provocative eye surgeon whose surgical technique for correcting nearsightedness has made him famous. He lives like a superstar with a chauffeur, a sumptuous apartment in Moscow, and a house in the country. Frontline follows Fyodorov through his day and reveals what life is really like for privileged Soviet Citizens.
Fashion-conscious Estonians living on the Gulf of Finland are inspired by the Western styles of Dallas and Dynasty which are picked up from Finnish TV in Helsinki, fifty miles away. Frontline profiles Krista Kajandu, the chief designer of a fashion house in the town of Tallin the 'Paris of the North,' who tries to raise the design standards of the Soviet fashion industry.
For the first time on Western television, Frontline details a recruit's life inside a Soviet Army barracks. Frontline cameras follow Valera Krylov, 18, through the exertion and boredom of basic training in the military and focuses on his parents, who worry that in the next two years he may be fighting in Afghanistan.
The Kulinich family lives and works on a collective farm in southern Russia. Frontline follows the Kulinichs through their daily lives during harvest time and takes a close look at the workings of the collective farm system to find that they, like many other Russian peasants, have discovered their own version of the Communist way of life-Leninism with loopholes.
Soviet film directors have one advantage over Westerners: the state takes care of the budget. But in return, the state expects firm control over all productions. Dinara Asanova, one of the few female directors of Soviet features, knows how to bend the rules-departing from approved scripts and changing characters and locations, with controversial results.
One year after the Challenger disaster, Frontline examined the all-too-human side of the space program as seen through the eyes of the astronauts and engineers responsible for making it work. Correspondent James Reston tells the inside story of a program plagued by problems and politics.
Frontline examines the startling implications of what will happen when the big earthquake hits California, detailing the awesome effects as systems rupture and the entire nation's economy, industries, and national security are jeopardized.
A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs.
A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 2 journeys into America's schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
German scientists were responsible for putting the first American on the moon. Now, 15 years later, government investigators are asking whether some of them were also responsible for Nazi war crimes. Frontline examines their war records and the role of American officials who decided to bring them to the United States.
Two million American couples desperately want babies and can't have them. They are turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors. Sometimes they get a new baby and a happy home; sometimes their hearts are broken. Frontline looks at a system filled with ambiguity and heartbreak.
Frontline takes a gritty look at street cops. In Boston's busiest, most violent police district, they confront the never-ending calls for help and the never-ending chase after drugs.
How could an ordinary citizen be considered a national security risk? Penn Kimball, a university professor, former New York Times editor, Rhodes scholar, and Eagle Scout, was stunned to discover that for 30 years, government files existed declaring him as a disloyal American. As he tries to clear his name, Frontline examines the government decision to gather information on American citizens.
As the Iran-contra scandal was still unfolding, Frontline correspondent William Greider revealed how the US began supporting the contras in Nicaragua and why our involvement there continues. The program is a meticulous reconstruction of US policy toward Nicaragua, and an investigation into how US foreign policy is made.
'I could hear the bullets all around me, hitting all around the house. I was forced back by gunfire,' says Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE, a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa's house. The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control, leaving 250 homeless. Frontline correspondent Leon Dash examines why the bombing really happened.
The day Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines in 1986, they left with $8.9 million in jewelry, cash, and bonds. But the Philippine government claims they took much more, plundering the wealth of the nation, stashing it in fake companies and secret bank accounts. Frontline tracked hundreds of millions of dollars of the Marcos money and asked whether the Philippine government will ever get it back.
The Six Day War was a decisive victory for Israel. But many Israelis feel that something has gone wrong. On the war's twentieth anniversary, Frontline finds a nation struggling with its image and its role as a democracy and reveals what has happened to the dream.
She was from Minnesota. Young, pretty, and fresh. She went to Hollywood in search of a dream and found herself in X-rated movies, on drugs, and estranged from her family and friends. Correspondent Al Austin retraces her story, discovering why after two years as a porn queen, she took her own life.
The black church was once the soul of its community. It was a rallying point and a force for change. Now, as the black middle class grows and the church evolves, correspondent Roger Wilkins asks whom does it serve and to what end?
As corruption scandals rock New York City, the careers of dozens of high officials are being destroyed. Frontline takes an inside look at the seamy side of urban politics and asks whether this is any way to run a government.
Many white South Africans claim that the entire country is theirs by right. No black man, they say, occupied South Africa before the first tiny Dutch settlement in 1652. Part 1 refutes this claim and traces the country's colonial history, the emergence early in the 20th century of the African National Congress, the rise to power of Afrikaner nationalists, and the formal policy of apartheid.
Part 2 details the new policy which included classifying all South Africans by race, removing blacks from cities where many had lived for generations, and establishing separate and unequal schooling for blacks. Frontline focuses on the increasing black resistance in the 1950s and the rise of resistance leader Nelson Mandela.
'Independent homelands' for blacks was the centerpiece of Prime Minister Hendrick Verwoerd's vision of apartheid. Part 3 focuses on how the white government found African leaders to collaborate with them in a plan to make foreigners of black South African citizens by deporting them to independent homelands in rural areas of the country. The program looks at the increased resistance to the homeland policy as seen through the first nationwide attack by young black South Africans in the Soweto ghetto in 1976.
When PW Botha became prime minister of South Africa two years after the Soweto uprising in 1976, he realized that apartheid must 'adapt or die.' Part 4 explores the reforms undertaken by Botha to maintain white supremacy, changes that have deeply divided Afrikaners and have provoked explosive reactions from many blacks.
Part 5 looks at an unprecedented meeting in the struggle for South Africa's future. Two years before the release of Nelson Mandela, dissident white Afrikaners met with black leaders from the outlawed African National Congress in Dakar, Senagal, to discuss strategies for change in South Africa, presaging the reforms that would come later.
Frontline traces the rise and fall of television evangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker and investigates why government agencies failed to vigorously investigate charges of corruption in the Bakker empire.
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh investigates one of Ronald Reagan's greatest triumphs-the rescue of American students during the 1983 invasion of Grenada. Hersh's reporting reveals an inept US military operation and questions whether the students needed rescuing at all.
Frontline goes inside the mind of Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon in 1980. Newly acquired records paint the chilling portrait of a celebrity stalker who meticulously planned the murder, believing it would make him famous.
Since deregulation, American's airline industry has become a nightmare of delays, cancellations, and near misses. Frontline probes the air traffic dilemma inside America's busiest airport-in the control tower and behind the ticket counter.
Eight years after one of the most violent prison uprisings in US history, Frontline returns to the penitentiary in New Mexico to probe the continuing struggle between the inmates and the guards, the wardens and the reformers, for control of one of our most dangerous prisons.
Joe and Joyce Cruzan want doctors to remove their severely brain damaged daughter from the life-support system that keeps her alive. Nearly two years before it became the US Supreme Court's first right-to-die case, Frontline explored the complex legal and moral issues of this Missouri couple's battle to allow their daughter to die.
In 1968, American journalist Jerry Schecter, accompanied by his wife and five young children, moved to Moscow on assignment for Time magazine. In 1987, Frontline returned with the Schecter family to the Soviet Union as they renewed old friendships and explored Russia under glasnost.
The military is America's largest producer of toxic waste. Frontline reporter Joe Rosenbloom investigates the Pentagon's poor record of cleaning up its pollution that contaminates the ground water in communities across the country.
When Shirley Turcotte was a child, she was sexually abused by her father. After years of therapy she takes a remarkable journey back into her past-confronting her mother and other adults who failed to protect her, reuniting with her brothers and sister who were also brutally abused, and trying to make peace with the horror story that was her childhood.
Frontline investigates the unsolved 1984 terrorist bombing at a press conference held by contra leader Eden Pastora. Eight people, including an American reporter, died that night on the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This report dissects the motives of possible conspirators and follows the trail of the man suspected of planting the bomb.
Can America succeed in Japan? Frontline paints an intimate portrait of Americans living and working in Japan-baseball players, businessmen, and an American bride-all confronting a society that looks Western, but operates by a very different set of rules.
Frontline explores the disturbing increase in racial incidents and violence on America's college campuses. The attitudes of black and white students reveal increasing tensions at some of the country's best universities where years after the civil rights struggle, full integration is still only a dream.
A Frontline investigation examines the CIA's long history of involvement with drug smugglers in trouble spots around the world and how the agency has defended its alliances with drug dealers under the cloak of 'national security.'
Frontline and Time magazine join forces to examine the new realities for the NATO alliance following the American-Soviet nuclear arms treaty. How good are the Warsaw Pact forces? Can Europe defend itself without nuclear missiles? Will America begin to pull out its troops?
Frontline examines the US government's attempts to forge a military pact with the Pacific Island nation of Palau (population 15,000)-a campaign that has led to economic dependence, political strife, corruption, and violence in that tiny country.
By 1991, health care for AIDS patients in the United States could cost an estimated $16 to $22 billion. Caring for AIDS victims is overwhelming some communities. Frontline examines the impact on patients caught in the middle of a battle between local governments and Washington over who will pay for AIDS.
In Central America, while US attention has been dominated by the contra war in Nicaragua, the battle for El Salvador continues. The US government has dumped nearly $3 billion in aid into El Salvador (more than ten times the amount spent on the contras), but there are new signs that the American policy is in trouble. With exclusive footage shot behind guerilla lines, Frontline takes a fresh look at the war in El Salvador.
The Quinault Indians of Washington State seem to have everything-strong leadership, a landmark court victory guaranteeing fishing rights, business deals with the Japanese, and a lush, beautiful reservation. But the Quinaults still face crushing problems-unemployment, poverty, alcoholism, and suicide. Frontline reporter Mark Trahant searches for answers to the Quinault's dilemma in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Congress, the White House and in the heart of the Quinault people.
In February 1987, 30 year-old Pamela Guenther turned to the police and the courts in a Denver suburb for protection from her violent husband. Three weeks later, as her children watched, she was murdered. Frontline asks why the system could not protect Pamela Guenther.
In the last weeks of the 1988 presidential campaign, correspondent William Greider explores the private but increasingly intense debate about what the next president should do to avoid economic disaster, how and when should he do it, and who will be asked to bear the burden. Frontline focuses on four communities that have not shared in the prosperity of the Reagan years.
Frontline and Time magazine step back from the heat of the 1988 presidential campaign to examine, in-depth, the background, character, qualifications, and beliefs of the Republican and Democratic candidates, George Bush and Michael Dukakis. Correspondent Garry Wills assesses their lives and career through the people who know them best.
Frontline correspondent Garry Wills profiles the career of Ronald Reagan, his legacy, and public life through the eyes of friends, top aides, biographers, and critics. The role of myth, media, and politics in Reagan's popularity and policy decisions is portrayed in the light of our national romance with the 'Great Communicator.'
Was John Walker the spy of the century? Frontline investigates the Walker spy ring and how it sold secrets about American military codes to the Soviets. The program assesses the damage to US national security and includes exclusive interviews with Walker, the convicted ring leader, and his principal partner, Jerry Whitworth.
Donald Trump's recent purchase of Eastern Airlines' shuttle focused national attention once again on the fight for this troubled airline. Frontline correspondent Robert Kuttner chronicles the saga of Eastern's ongoing labor-management disputes and the behind-the-scenes struggles between Charlie Bryan, head of the machinists' union, and Texas Air's Frank Lorenzo, as well as the fate of the experiment in joint union and management ownership of Eastern under former astronaut Frank Borman.
An inside look at the historic 1988 presidential campaign of the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Frontline profiles the Jackson strategy, his relationship with the press and his difficulties with the Jewish community and New York's Mayor Koch. The program chronicles the hopes and the hype of a campaign that became a crusade.
The story of Iain Brown, who at thirteen left the comfortable world of a middle-class family in Walnut Creek, CA, for the life of a male hustler in San Francisco. Iain committed suicide in December 1987 at the age of nineteen. His story highlights the disturbing and growing national problem of teenage runaways and suicides.
Frontline investigates how the American economy uses the profits from the illegal drug trade. The program documents a network of lawyers, real estate developers, stock brokers, and bankers who launder drug proceeds through 'legitimate' businesses in Miami, Boston, and Dallas.
Frontline reporter Joe Rosenbloom investigates abuses in the fiercely competitive marketing and promotion of prescription drugs by the pharmaceutical manufacturers. The program explores the dangers of hype and hard sell applied to widely prescribed arthritis medications and how the industry tries to influence the prescribing habits of doctors.
Frontline correspondent Bob Ray Sanders profiles the struggle of one neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, to combat the drugs and violence that threaten the lives of its citizens and the future of the community.
Chico Mendes was an environmentalist and a leader of seringueiros, Brazilian rubber tappers, who struggle to defend their forests from destruction by cattle ranchers and developers. Mendes's murder in December 1988 focused international attention on the ecological pillage of millions of acres of Amazonian rain forest.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Henry James, Sigmund Freud, and Charlie Chaplin all doubted that William Shakespeare of Stratford-on-Avon was the true author of the dramatic masterpieces that bear his name. Correspondent Al Austin investigates the latest controversial theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, a poet and intimate of Queen Elizabeth 1, was the real Shakespeare.
Over 25 years ago, scores of Canadian women gave birth to badly malformed children because of a prescription drug called thalidomide. This program, anchored and narrated by Judy Woodruff, profiles the heroic struggle of 3 thalidomide children who overcame their handicaps despite government neglect and inadequate rehabilitative solutions.
President Reagan's Interior secretaries, James Watt and Donald Hodel, may have altered the landscape of the Yellowstone Park area more dramatically than the fires that ravaged it in the summer of 1988. This program examines the impact of eight years of accelerated development of minerals, timber, and tourism on America's most famous wilderness.
The Iran-contra scandal revealed a glimpse of the US government's secret relationship with Israel. This program investigates America's strategic alliance with Israel since the 1950's and our covert and overt ties to Israeli arms deals and intelligence operations.
In 1968, American soldiers massacred over 500 adults and children in a Vietnamese hamlet called My Lai. Frontline explores the legacy of that savage day on the men who were there and the Vietnamese who survived.
The infant mortality rate in some Chicago neighborhoods is higher than that of many third-world countries. Frontline investigates the political and bureaucratic neglect which fuels this crisis and examines how health and social workers combat the conditions that imperil the lives of poor infants.
Mairead Farrell was one of three Irish Republican Army terrorists gunned down by British security forces on Gibraltar in March 1988. Frontline examines her 17 year career as an IRA militant and the questions her life and death raise about the British government's ability to apply the rule of law to political terrorism.
Calvert City, Kentucky, is at war with itself over the legacy of pollution and toxic waste from the chemical plants that are the heart of its economy. Frontline examines the struggle between citizens and industry giants, like GAF and BF Goodrich, to find the truth about what's happening to Calvert City.
A Frontline special report investigates the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988. The broadcast pieces together the latest information about the bomb, how the terrorists built it and placed it on board, and whether warnings about the attack were ignored by government officials. Frontline profiles the terrorist network believed responsible for the bombing and details blunders made by the German police that may have contributed to the tragedy.
Frontline and Fred Friendly's Media and Society series join forces to examine the complex legal and moral issues involved in the US Supreme Court's first right-to-die case, Cruzan vs. Harmon. The broadcast features exclusive coverage of the Cruzan family's legal struggle to remove their daughter Nancy from the life-support system that keeps her alive and explores the issues with the Cruzan's attorney as well as leading ethicists, jurists, and Supreme Court watchers.
Frontline profiles the efforts of the surviving families of the 270 people killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, to seek justice for their loved ones. The families' crusade focuses attention on issues of airline and airport security, on the lack of coordination between international police and intelligence services, and on whether the US government has the will and means to respond effectively against terrorists and the countries that support them.
In the wake of the US invasion of Panama, Frontline tracks the rise and fall of General Manuel Noriega and investigates the confusion and duplicity in the US government's long relationship with the fallen dictator.
Frontline goes behind the scenes at the Soviet Union's first national beauty pageant with an intimate, bittersweet examination of the status and struggles of women in the USSR.
Correspondent Roger Wilkins investigates the economic and social roots of the black underclass, focusing on the struggle of young black men in one neighborhood in Washington, DC.
In the wake of PLO chairman Yasir Arafat's historic declaration that he has rejected terrorism and now recognizes Israel's right to exist, correspondent Marie Colvin profiles the Palestinian leader, follows his peace initiatives, and examines his commitment to fulfill his new promises.
In the black, early morning hours of Good Friday, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez went aground on Bligh Reef, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. Frontline correspondent Jon Tuttle investigates the long history of complacency, negligence, and broken promises by government agencies and oil companies that led to this disaster.
In the summer of 1989, Poland astonished the world by starting the revolution which has swept Eastern Europe. Solidarity, the once-banned independent trade union, took power in a coalition government ending 45 years of Communist repression. In this report, Frontline examines a society attempting something which has never been done-changing overnight from Communism to capitalism.
Philly Bongoley Lutaaya was a celebrated singer musician from Uganda who died of AIDS in December 1989. But he died a national hero because he gave his nation new hope in battling the devastation of the disease. This Frontline AIDS Quarterly special, narrated by Peter Jennings, chronicles Philly Lutaaya's remarkable last year of life as he travelled across Uganda in a crusade to help stop the spread of AIDS, even as the disease ravaged his body.
Thirty years after Edward R. Murrow's 'Harvest of Shame,' Frontline correspondent David Marash looks at the continuing plight of migrant farm workers and explores the forces that keep their lives so desperate.
In 1989, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan was freed from prison after serving the longest detention for civil contempt in American history-25 months. Dr. Morgan had refused a court order to reveal the whereabouts of her daughter, Hilary, who Morgan believed had been sexually assaulted by Hilary's father, Dr. Eric Foretich. In February 1990, Hilary was discovered living in New Zealand with her grandparents. Frontline explores both sides of the troubling case.
The savings and loan scandal is the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression and will cost US taxpayers an estimated $315 billion. Frontline investigates Charles Keating, Jr., and the role politics played in the $2.5 billion failure of his Lincoln Savings and Loan.
Frontline correspondent Carl Nagin investigates the looting of pre-Columbian tombs in Latin America and the trafficking of stolen artifacts, exposing a trail that leads to auction houses, galleries, museums, and private collections in the United States.
The 1989 murder of Yusef Hawkins by white youths in the Bensonhurst section of New York City set off a racial and political fire storm. On the eve of the first verdicts in the murder case, writer Shelby Steele returns to talk to the participants and tries to unravel the forces that propelled this racial crisis.
How serious is Colombia's war on drugs? Frontline investigates the drug cartels in Medellin and Cali and demonstrates how they've become part of the country's political and economic life.
Frontline explores the hopes and frustrations of public school teachers in one mid-western town as they face the threat of funding cutbacks, the criticism of parents, and a growing number of troubled children from troubled homes.
Frontline examines how Saddam Hussein built Iraq's massive arsenal of tanks, planes, missiles, and chemical weapons during the 1980's. Correspondent Hodding Carter investigates the complicity of the US, European governments, and Western corporations in creating the Iraqi military machine the world is now trying to stop.
Adrian Cowell's epic, ten-year-long series begins with a tale reminiscent of the American Wild West. A Brazilian settler brings his family to live deep in the Amazon, in Indian territory. Two of his sons are murdered and another is kidnapped by a renegade Indian tribe. For four years, a government expedition searches for the Indians and the child. Meanwhile, the colonists' expansion continues to encroach on the Indians' land. The series follows landless peasants as they are lured to the forest with promises of free land and big harvests. As the forest is slashed and burned, the crisis is taken to the US Congress, where under pressure, the World Bank finally changes its policies toward Brazilian development.
Part II follows the land wars which broke out as millions of poor farmers migrated to massive ranches in the Brazilian rain forest. As squatters, they begin to work the land until absentee landlords hire gunmen to kill these peasants. The peasants take up arms themselves, and the result is a lawless gun battle.
Part III follows the gold rush of 200,000 illegal prospectors who swarm over private gold reserves in the rain forest. As security forces track the prospectors, the government fights to protect the world's largest untapped gold reserves.
The series concludes with the story of Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper whose murder in 1988 brought worldwide attention to the problem of Amazonian deforestation. Mendes had become a symbol of the struggle between the rubber tappers and landowners. After surviving attempts on his life, Mendes was finally murdered by gunmen allegedly from a neighboring cattle ranch.
Correspondent Bill Moyers investigates America's shadowy new industry-the international export of toxic waste-revealing how shipping deadly wastes to third-world countries has become an enormous business in the US.
The corrupting influence of drug money is now listed as the number one threat to the integrity of police forces. Frontline investigates this crisis in three communities in Florida, California, and New Jersey.
For 20 years, one man - Oxford-educated Dennis Howard Marks - was responsible for running an international drug market that shipped marijuana into the US by the ton. Frontline tells the story of the man who believed that he was too smart to be caught-and the DEA agent who was determined to prove him wrong.
Three million Americans are thought to be schizophrenic. As medical science searches to find its cause, society struggles to understand a crippling disease that has shattered families and left tens of thousands on the nation's streets.
Lottery fever is spreading. Twenty-nine states now raise $20 billion a year in revenues. Frontline correspondent James Reston, Jr., goes behind the scenes of state lotteries to look at the promoters selling them, the people buying the tickets, and to ask the question, 'Who really wins and who loses?'
As the threat of war in the Gulf grows, a middle-sized American city grapples with the reason hundreds of thousands of US troops are being sent to Saudi Arabia. As one of the country's embarkation points for US troops and equipment, Springfield, Massachusetts has a special connection to the deployment. A student, a protester, a soldier, and a family join correspondent Bill Moyers and others in a special town meeting to discuss their hopes and fears.
Four years after the Iran-contra scandal broke, correspondent Bill Moyers examines-for the first time on television-the full record of this story, documenting the scale of White House deceit and analyzing the failures of our other democratic institutions: the Congress, the press, and the law.
As fear and violence mount, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk struggle to control the tumultuous course of change in South Africa. Correspondent David Dimbleby examines the lineup of forces on each side-Afrikaners and blacks-and the divisions within each group that could disrupt negotiations for a new South Africa.
One hundred years after the massacre at Wounded Knee, Milo Yellow Hair recounts the story of his people-from the lost battles for their land against the invading whites-to the bitter internal divisions and radicalization of the 1970's-to the present-day revival of Sioux cultural pride, which has become a unifying force as the Sioux try to define themselves and their future.
On January 15, 1991, the United Nations resolution that allowed the use of force against Saddam Hussein took effect. Frontline correspondent Hodding Carter examined the critical decisions inside the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon that had brought the nation to the brink of war.
Frontline investigates the long history of Castro's connection to the drug trade. Despite Cuban government denials, this report uncovers evidence that drug smuggling was an official state policy under Castro during the past decade.
Frontline examines the career of one of the world's most brilliant designers of weaponry, Gerald Bull, who designed long-range artillery used by Iraq during the Gulf War. Bull was murdered at his home in Brussels, Belgium, in March 1990-a murder believed to have been orchestrated by the Israeli secret intelligence agency, Mossad.
Correspondent Hedrick Smith, best-selling author of The New Russians, looks at the causes of recent violence in the USSR and explores the ramifications for future US-Soviet relations.
Frontline investigates the personal and political history of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Through interviews with Hussein's former neighbors, members of his government, military leaders, journalists, and Middle East experts, correspondent Hodding Carter reveals the fears, the passions, and the intellect of the man behind the demonic image.
Nearly thirty percent of all US soldiers in the Gulf War were black Americans. But blacks were much more skeptical than whites about the decision to go to war. Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree leads a Frontline town meeting that explores the source of black attitudes and the impact of the war on the lives of black Americans.
Before Operation Desert Storm, there was Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama. Frontline examines the planning and execution of the Bush administration's first war and its impact on the problems still facing Panama's fragile democracy.
On January 20, 1981, just as Ronald Reagan became the 40th president of the United States, Iran finally released the 52 American hostages it had held for 444 days. Frontline reporter Robert Parry investigates startling new evidence about how both the Carter and Reagan camps may have tried to forge secret deals for those hostages during the 1980 presidential campaign.
Frontline examines the crisis facing middle-class Americans seeking long-term nursing home care for elderly parents. The report focuses on the tremendous financial difficulties faced by families who must decide what's best for their loved ones.
What has happened to the small town of Edenton, North Carolina, now that its most prestigious day-care has been closed down because of charges of sexual abuse? Frontline examines the painful personal story of a divided community, the tangled roots of the charges, and the history of the investigation in this highly controversial case.
Correspondent Tom Mangold profiles the mysterious, tortured life of James Angleton, ex-chief of counter-intelligence for the CIA who was obsessed by the belief that the agency was harboring a mole. His pursuit ruined lives and careers and seriously skewed US intelligence.
Correspondent Al Austin looks at the mass environmental destruction of the world's fisheries caused by new technologies in the fishing industry. Interviews with fishermen, businessmen, scientists, and government leaders reveal how the vital marine resource is in a dangerous state of decline.
An intimate journey into America's great racial divide, reported by David Maraniss. For 16 weeks, behind a two-way mirror in a small room at the US military's intensive race relations course, a dozen Americans-black, white, and Hispanic-confront each other with their racial anger, pain, and bewilderment. This group's dramatic struggle poses the vital question: can America overcome its racial conflicts and make equality work?
At the start of US Senate confirmation hearings, Frontline probes the background of Robert M. Gates, President Bush's nominee to head the CIA. The program, anchored by Hodding Carter III, focuses on Gates's role in the Iran-contra affair and in a secret US policy to help Saddam Hussein build and maintain his war machine.
Frontline recounts the saga of Andrei Sakharov, the nuclear physicist turned human-rights advocate who became the father of the Soviet democracy movement. With unique access to Sakharov's family and friends, the film documents Sakharov's life across seven decades of Communist rule in the USSR and traces his struggle to teach his country and the world important lessons about the moral power of the human spirit.
The biggest financial disaster in US history continues. Four years into the process of selling off failed savings and loan assets, the Resolution Trust Corporation, the federal agency charged with managing the bailout, hasn't stopped the rising cost - estimated at $600-700 billion in taxpayers' dollars and climbing. In a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, Frontline correspondent Robert Krulwich uncovers the inside story of mismanagement and politics and tells how the bailout itself is now in need of rescue.
Frontline investigates the hidden strategies of the air war against Iraq and its devastating impact on Iraqi civilians. The program reveals how the war destroyed Iraq's power stations-leaving many Iraqis without electricity, sewage lines, or purified water, vulnerable to hunger and disease, and part of the 'slow motion disaster' in post-war Iraq.
Frontline investigates the life and career of boxing promoter Don King, from his early street hustling days in Cleveland-where he once killed a man who owed him money-to his current position as the top boxing promoter in America. Correspondent Jack Newfield travels to training camps, title matches, and interviews fighters, managers, and trainers to tell the troubling story of a man who is bigger than the sport he promotes.
Dr. Jason Richter, a psychiatrist, had a sexual affair with his patient Melissa Roberts-Henry. She later sued him for sexual abuse. Frontline examines the history of this patient-therapist relationship, the legal battle that followed, and how the psychiatric establishment dealt with the case. The program details the case history, drawing from videotaped portions of the trial, interviews with Roberts-Henry, Richter, attorneys, and experts.
Frontline looks at the challenge Japanese-style capitalism poses to the US market. The program examines three industries-automobile, video games, and flat panel displays used in computers. Robert Krulwich introduces the hour-long documentary and anchors a closing half-hour roundtable discussion.
Frontline, in co-production with the BBC, examines the secret connections between Oliver North and British hostage Terry Waite, the Anglican church envoy released from captivity in Lebanon after nearly five years. Correspondent Gavin Hewitt investigates the charge North used Waite in an effort to locate the other hostages and to cover up American's covert arms-for-hostages deal with Iran.
On March 5, 1990, in New York City, five year-old Adam Mann was beaten to death for eating a piece of cake. The autopsy indicated Adam had been battered by his parents for years. Frontline investigates Adam's death and reveals a documented record, stretching back seven years, of how New York City's child-welfare system failed to protect Adam and his three brothers from their violent parents.
Frontline investigates the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, who after serving 13 months in prison in the early 1980s for conspiracy and false tax returns, has reemerged as a major media, financial, and political power in the new conservative establishment. The program explores Moon's long involvement with US political causes and politicians and the foreign sources of funding for Moon's Unification Church.
The Cuban Revolution has turned into a struggle to feed its people. To understand what has happened to Cuba, Frontline tells the story of Cuba's controversial and charismatic leader, Fidel Castro-from the early days when his small guerilla band launched a revolution from the Sierra Maestra Mountains to the present day as Cuba's isolated, but defiant, leader.
The Matsushita Electric Company is one of the largest corporations in the world, with a controversial history in the US stretching back more than 30 years. Shuichi Kato, a leading social critic in Japan, joins Frontline in an investigation of the conflicts that have surrounded Matsushita in the US and explores some of the larger moral and cultural issues that confront Japan as it expands rapidly abroad.
Frontline correspondent Hedrick Smith, the award-winning host of "Inside Gorbachev's USSR," revisits the former Soviet Union to investigate how the institutions and people he filmed for his 1990 series are dealing with the challenge of change. Smith finds a nation enjoying new freedoms of speech and conscience but on the brink of economic and political disaster.
Correspondent Hodding Carter investigates the life and political career of presidential candidate David Duke-exploring Duke's troubled childhood, his intellectual journey into the extremist ideology of the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, and the effort to reshape his image so he could run as a national figure in the Republican party.
In 1984, a near-fatal automobile accident left Nancy Cruzan in a 'persistent vegetative state.' To permit the removal of Nancy's life support, the Cruzan family waged a three-and-a-half year legal battle which became the first right-to-die case heard by the US Supreme Court. Frontline follows the family's agonizing journey and chronicles their final days with Nancy.
One year after the fateful Kurdish uprising, Frontkine charts dissident Iraqi writer Kanan Makiya's secret return to Iraq to investigate rumors of an official extermination program aimed at the Kurds. Makiya travels from town to town, sifting through documents, audiotapes, and video footage kept for years by the Iraqi secret police and captured by the Kurds in the uprising. The records detail the horrifying scale of the Iraqi state's routine surveillance, torture, and murder.
At the start of an official Congressional inquiry into allegations that the 1980 Reagan-Bush presidential campaign delayed the release of 52 Americans held hostage by Iran, Frontline expands on its 1991 investigation into the so-called October Surprise. Reporter Robert Parry investigates whether or not William Casey, Reagan's campaign director, could have met with Iranians in Paris and Madrid in the summer of 1980.
Journalist William Greider examines what he calls 'the deepening divide between the governed and the governing' in this PBS Election '92 Report. Drawing upon Greider's award-winning reporting and observations of Washington's politics and government for over 20 years, Frontline examines the institutions of democracy - among them the two major political parties and the press - and how they are failing the public.
Frontline examines the global banking scandal surrounding the Bank of Credit & Commerce International by tracking the aggressive investigation of the case by New York District attorney Robert Morgenthau. This report investigates the origins of BCCI, how it became a conduit for terrorism, arms deals, and drug money laundering, how its influence spread to political power brokers in the US, and why agencies of the US government were so slow to respond to the growing scandal.
With 410,000 children in foster-care and over half a million expected by 1995, child advocates across the country say nearly every state is in, or approaching, a crisis. Frontline examines the child-welfare crisis in Arkansas and the struggle to reform the system-a political battle that focused squarely on Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton as he launched his presidential campaign.
In June 1989, Chinese students defied their government and held pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Their voices of protest were silenced with tanks and guns. Three years later, Frontline examines a country torn by the conflicting realities of liberal economic reform and continuing political repression. While China's ruling gerontocracy maintains a firm hold on political dissent, the people are embracing economic reforms and a more open society.
Frontline airs reactions to some of the controversial broadcasts in its tenth season. The program contains excerpts from viewer letters, responses from the subjects of Frontline documentaries, and updates to stories that continue to develop.
When 15 year old Damien Bynoe and two friends took a gun and went to settle a dispute, 15 year old Korey Grant and 11 year old Charles Copney, Jr. wound up dead. Public outcry over the case led Massachusetts politicians to pass one of the country's toughest juvenile crime laws. Frontline probes what turned Damien into a kid with a gun and examines the debate over how to deal fairly with him and other young people drawn into the violence on our streets.
Peter and Dolores Green, African-American professionals, are suing a Chicago-area bank for refusing to finance their purchase of the home they have lived in for 30 years. Correspondent Bill Schechner finds mortgage-lending discrimination a systemic problem in America's financial institutions. In a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, Frontline examines the devastating effects of discriminatory lending practices on neighborhoods fighting for economic survival.
Frontline explores how Clarence Thomas's bitter Supreme Court nomination hearing, replete with charges of sexual harassment, reached deep into the psyche of black America. Through interviews with prominent African-Americans, the program finds that the dynamics of race-being black in America-were inescapably at the heart of the story and that little common understanding existed in the way blacks and whites viewed the nomination battle.
Frontline, in a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, examines the story of our nation's failed energy policy. Journalist Nick Kotz investigates the role the Bush administration and key congressional committees played in creating a national energy policy that remains guided by special interests, calls for the controversial revival of nuclear power, and leaves America increasingly dependent on foreign oil supplies.
In this Election '92 Special Report, Frontline presents political biographies of the two leading candidates for the presidency-Republican George Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton. Correspondent Richard Ben Cramer examines the public careers and private lives of these men, searching for clues to their character and the patterns of behavior that could predict how they might handle the problems confronting the US in the post-Cold War era.
In 1992, a year when the presidential campaigns cost $400 million, Frontline, in a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, investigates the behind-the-scenes money givers who finance the presidential campaigns and the access and influence they gain with the candidates. Correspondent Robert Krulwich follows the largest contributors to the Bush and Clinton campaigns and traces the impact money has on American politics.
Wesley Allan Dodd's 1989 arrest in Washington State for the murder of 3 young boys ended his 15 year career of violent sex crimes. Through interviews with Dodd, other sexual offenders and their families, therapists, and treatment specialists, correspondent Al Austin investigates the epidemic of sexual assault and examines Washington's desperate solution to the problem-to keep the offenders locked up until they are judged to be no longer a danger.
Frank Ragano was an intimate friend and lawyer to Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa and attorney to Santo Trafficante, one of the most feared Mafia bosses. Now, he's the first mob lawyer ever to go public with what he knows. Journalist Jack Newfield examines Ragano's accounts of mob involvement in CIA plots to kill Fidel Castro and probes Ragano's allegations that the mob orchestrated the assassination of John Kennedy and the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.
Marco Williams was 24 years old when he learned his father's name. It was the first of many things he would discover about himself and his family in a journey into his family's past. Frontline airs the first-person story of Williams's seven-year search to learn about his father, to uncover the circumstances surrounding his birth, and to come to terms with what it means to grow up fatherless.
After the campaign rhetoric subsides, a new president has only eleven weeks to establish the form and substance of his administration. On the eve of Clinton's inauguration, correspondent Hodding Carter offers the first inside view of the new administration as it tackles the critical choices of the people and policies that will form the new American government.
As the Arab-Israeli peace talks enter their 17th round of negotiations, Frontline examines the issue which holds the key to peace: the land of the West Bank and Gaza. In a personal journey to the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, correspondent Michael Ambrosino explores the bitter and complex issues of land ownership, the scope and future of the Israeli settlements, the realities of Israeli military justice, and daily life under Israeli occupation.
The federal government's multibillion dollar war on drugs is an issue Bill Clinton largely ignored during his presidential campaign but will now have to confront. An eight-month investigation by Frontline shows how smugglers in Texas are defeating the nation's drug-war defenses and reveals flaws in the systems set up by the Customs Service, the Border Patrol, and the military to detect smugglers.
For nearly 50 years, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover amassed secret files on America's most prominent figures, files he used to smear and control presidents and politicians. Frontline reveals how Hoover's own secret life left him open to blackmail by the Mafia and offers a startling new explanation why the FBI allowed the mob to operate unchallenged for over two decades.
Since 1979, the US has been helping Saudi Arabia contruct a sophisticated multibillion dollar network of military bases. Frontline uncovers the hidden history of US-Saudi relations, examining the extent of the secret Saudi defense buildup, the question of high-level US collusion in fixing the price of oil, and the extent of US involvement in covert Saudi aid to Iraq in its eight-year war against Iran.
Three years after Nelson Mandela's release from prison, talks between Mandela's African National Congress and the government of President FW de Klerk show signs of reaching an agreement that will end apartheid. Frontline correspondent John Matisonn investigates the forces and politics behind the ongoing violence and examines how de Klerk and Mandela have pushed through the peace process, detailing what has led both leaders to major compromises in their negotiations.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia has been openly practiced for twenty years. Through the personal accounts of doctors, patients, and families in Holland, this program explores the complexities and dilemmas of euthanasia. Anchored by veteran newsman Roger Mudd and co-produced by The Health Quarterly and Frontline, the documentary is interspersed with a studio discussion relating the Dutch experience to the euthanasia debate in the United States.
Frontline traces the 30 year history of US pesticide use, regulation and scientific study and explores what is and is not known about the risks of agricultural chemicals in our food. The program, reported by Bill Moyers, examines how the government has failed to certify pesticide safety and why the only source of data on the safety of pesticides is the industry that profits from them.
As the 1993 baseball season begins, Frontline looks at the power struggle between the owners and players for economic control of Major League baseball and how that battle has led the national pastime to the brink of disaster.
With headlines focused on the United Nation's search and destroy missions inside Iraq, Frontline investigates how Iran is quietly rebuilding its national arsenal of weapons. The program uncovers a far-flung secret procurement network, including Iranian efforts to acquire biological, chemical, and, most worrisome of all, nuclear weapons.
One year after Los Angeles' three days and nights of beatings, looting, and burning, how well do we understand what happened there-and why? Frontline revisits Los Angeles to explore those questions through the eyes of five people who have thought and written about the city from the perspectives of its different communities, races, and classes.
Three hundred thousand defense jobs have been lost since cutbacks began in 1989 and 1.2 million are expected by the end of the decade. Frontline sifts through the debris of the military-industrial complex and explores the challenges facing industries, states, and people who based their livelihood on the cold War. The program chronicles the recent history of two of the nation's largest military contractors, General Dynamics and Hughes Aircraft Company, as each tries to carve out a future in a radically changed defense environment.
Frontline, in association with The Health Quarterly, presents a behind-the-scenes report on Bill Clinton's savvy campaigning and hard bargaining for health care reform during his bid for the presidency. The program details Clinton's difficulties in transforming health care reform from a campaign issue to a social reality.
In 1992, one of the largest child sexual abuse cases in the country concluded its first trial, sentencing Robert Fulton Kelly, owner of the Little Rascals day-care center in Edenton, North Carolina, to 12 consecutive life terms. This program, a follow-up to the 1991 Frontline broadcast 'Innocence Lost,' is the first to document on this scale the history and outcome of a child molestation case. Using footage from the original broadcast with added material never used, the program outlines the earliest history of the case in light of the trial testimony.
The Innocent Lost series continues, focusing on the testimony of the twelve children who took the stand, the questioning by prosecutors and defense attorneys, and the jurors' decisions on what they heard. With unusual access to parents, residents, the defendants, and five members of the jury, as well as actual courtroom testimony of the experts, the children, and their parents, the program reveals the deeply troubling ambiguities that remain unresolved after the guilty verdict is found and raises questions about the ability of our society and our legal system to face the challenges child sexual abuse cases present.
FRONTLINE opens its twelfth season with the story of General Motors--the world's largest industrial company and the symbol of corporate America's once golden age of optimism. A co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, the program examines how GM went from being the undisputed number-one car company to suffering a $23.5 billion loss last year--the biggest U.S. corporate loss on record. Can GM halt its decline? What went wrong? FRONTLINE looks for answers to those questions in this saga of a once mighty company that is struggling to regain its past glory. At stake are the livelihoods of GM's 736,000 workers worldwide and millions more who produce the steel, glass, rubber, and plastic that go into GM cars and trucks. [90 minutes]
Facilitated communication (FC) has been heralded as a breakthrough technique for nonverbal people with autism. The method uses a helper to control the involuntary movements of an autistic person's hand, allowing that person to type his or her thoughts on a keyboard. Thousands of people have begun using FC, often to communicate major life decisions like the desire to go to college or to move to a new home. But many scientists reject FC as simply not real and believe that it is the facilitator who is unknowingly controlling the hand of the autistic individual. FRONTLINE presents a comprehensive investigation of this controversial technique, interviewing the leaders of the FC movement, scientists, facilitators, and parents of autistic children and raises tough questions about the implications of its use for people with autism and their families.
Wes McKinley didn't know what he was getting into when, in 1990, he was chosen as foreman of a special grand jury investigating potential crimes at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado. But what McKinley and the other grand jurors learned in their two-and-one-half years of listening to testimony and examining other evidence disturbed them enough to risk prosecution themselves by going public. FRONTLINE, in co-production with Oregon Public Broadcasting, examines what the grand jury learned and what led to their rebellion.
FRONTLINE examines the escalating confrontation between the Haitian military government and the Clinton administration. Interviewing military ruler Lt. General Raoul Cedras, exiled Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, U.S. officials, Haitian businessmen, and Aristide supporters, the program covers developments in Haiti up to the time of broadcast, setting events in historical context and examining what is at stake for President Clinton's foreign policy. 'Showdown in Haiti' includes interviews with two Aristide supporters, Antoine Izmery, a major financial backer of Aristide's political coalition, and Justice Minister Guy Malary. Both men were assassinated only days after they spoke to FRONTLINE.
At the heart of the mystery of who killed John F. Kennedy lies the puzzle of Lee Harvey Oswald. Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, FRONTLINE presents an investigative biography of the man at the center of the political crime of the century. The program follows Oswald's life story from his boyhood to Dallas, 1963. Was Oswald the emotionally disturbed lone gunman of the 1964 Warren Commission Report? Was he, as the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded, only one of two gunmen that day in Dallas? Or was he an unwitting 'patsy' for the real assassins, as Oswald himself claimed when he was arrested on November 22, 1963?
Since the outbreak of AIDS more than a decade ago, an estimated 30,000 Americans have become infected after receiving HIV-contaminated blood or blood products. FRONTLINE,in association with The Health Quarterly, investigates the ten-year history of AIDS and the blood supply. Airing on the eve of World AIDS Day, the program asks why the nation's guarantors of safe blood, including the American Red Cross and the Food and Drug Administration, failed to safeguard the blood supply from the deadly virus in the early 1980s, and why, still today, some of the nation's largest blood banks are not yet in full compliance with federal regulations on blood safety.
In a year in which national attention has focused on police brutality trials in cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, and Miami, FRONTLINE crosses 'the blue line' to examine police culture and to ask what do cops think of us? Longtime police beat reporter Jack Newfield offers a close up look into the world of cops - their frustrations and their fears - through the different experiences of cops in the New York City Police Department. Key figures in New York's recent police corruption hearings are interviewed as well as Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and members of the rank and file.
In the last quarter century, many of the mentally ill in this country were discharged from hospitals with no coherent provision for follow-up care. The hundreds of thousands wandering the streets evoke our compassion, stir our conscience, and, for those mentally ill who are violent, test our definition of individual rights and liberties. FRONTLINE examines the troubling conflict between protecting the rights of the mentally ill to live outside of the mental hospitals and safeguarding society from those who are dangerous to themselves and to others. To explore this dilemma, the program focuses on the community of Northampton, Massachusetts, and the personal stories of one family, several mentally ill residents, and the lawyers, psychiatrists, and care givers who deal with the mentally ill on a daily basis.
Second only to Christmas, Valentine's Day is the holiday when diamonds are most often given as the ultimate token of love. Central to the diamond's role as a romantic symbol is the belief that diamonds are one of the rarest, most precious gifts for a loved one. But it's only a myth--diamonds are found in plentiful supply. FRONTLINE examines how the great myth about the scarcity of diamonds and their inflated value was created and maintained over the decades by the diamond cartel. This report chronicles how one family, the Oppenheimers of South Africa, gained control of the supply, marketing, and pricing of the world's diamonds.
On a quiet Sunday morning at home in the San Fernando Valley, a freelance reporter got a call from an expert in child sex crimes: Michael Jackson was under investigation. By the time the reporter's story aired twenty-four hours later, the media feeding frenzy was underway. Within a matter of days of the first report, the Jackson story had jumped from hard, verifiable news to spectacle and entertainment. FRONTLINE correspondent Richard Ben Cramer goes behind the scenes of the television coverage of the Michael Jackson story to look at the people, organizations, and economic pressures that have led to the tabloidization of American television. The program follows a few of the most exuberant and successful of the tabloid press as they pursue the Jackson story.
What is the fate of Tibet? To explore that question, FRONTLINE asked Orville Schell, an author and longtime observer of China, to make the journey to the Roof of the World. Forty years of Chinese occupation have left tens of thousands of Tibetans dead and six thousand Tibetan monasteries and temples destroyed. Today, the Dalai Lama is in exile, Lhasa, the capital, is predominantly Chinese, and one of Tibet's most sacred lakes is being developed for Chinese hydroelectric power. Schell vividly chronicles the history and culture of Tibet, explores the Chinese view of Tibet, and looks at why the survival of Tibet's people and culture has become an international issue.
As the world's eyes focus on whether the United States and NATO will finally break the two-year-long siege of Sarajevo, FRONTLINE goes behind the daily news images of this war to tell the story of the day-to-day lives of Sarajevo's beleaguered people. Yugoslavian-born filmmaker Radovan Tadic presents an intimate portrait of Sarajevans trying to live while deprived of almost everything--water, electricity, medicine, food, hope. Tadic's chronicle, filmed over a period of six months, ultimately becomes a meditation on the war, as well as a larger journey through the psychological and moral landscape of the besieged city.
'We just know this is our season--we want it all! So there's nothing that's going to get in our way,' says Trisha Stevens, one of the stars of the 1990 Stanford University women's basketball team. In this FRONTLINE report, producer Becky Smith takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Stanford team, its coach, and the season they set out to win the biggest dream in college sports--a national championship. Smith's six-month record of the team's 'miracle season' captures their spirit and determination, details coach Tara VanDerveer's strategy and tenaciousness, and chronicles the grueling twists and turns on the road to the title. The program poses important questions about the obstacles facing women's athletics which continue to fight for equal opportunities, funding, and media coverage.
Just a few years ago, nobody had ever heard of Jack Kevorkian. Today, he is the most famous doctor in America--and the most controversial. Kevorkian is celebrated by his supporters as a merciful angel of death, the only man courageous enough to publicly step forward to help those suffering needlessly at the end of life--the champion of a new civil-rights issue. To his opponents, Kevorkian is Dr. Death, a discredited pathologist whose obsession with death has led him to kill patients who are not yet at the end of their lives; a man who is trying to push America into a nightmarish future of death on demand. Who is the real Jack Kevorkian? FRONTLINE presents an in-depth examination Jack Kevorkian's record--exploring the man, his cases, and the issue he has come to personify.
On the eve of the first non-racial elections in South Africa, FRONTLINE presents an analysis of Nelson Mandela's ascent to power as the first democratically-elected leader of South Africa and the remarkable political comeback of his ex-wife, Winnie Mandela.
On May Day 1993, thousands of hard-core Russian Communists, their supporters, and militant nationalists rioted in Moscow's streets. Hundreds were injured. Protesters denouncing their government's massive economic reforms vowed to continue to forcefully resist these measures. Will 1994 be another bloody May Day for Russia's troubled people? FRONTLINE presents the story of the rise and fall of Boris Yeltsin, exploring the past two years of Russia's economic chaos and social turmoil and examining why Yeltsin's 'shock therapy' dramatically foundered. The program examines how social and political forces crippled Yeltsin and how the resulting power vacuum was skillfully seized by populist, fascist leader, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. [120 minutes]
The international press named the couple 'Romeo and Juliet.' He was Bosko Brckic, a twenty-four-year-old Serb. She was twenty-five-year-old Admira Ismic, a Muslim. Together, they tried to escape the war in Sarajevo and marry. But late in the afternoon of May 19, 1993, on a bridge leading out of Sarajevo, they died in each other's arms, shot down by snipers in the hills overlooking the besieged city. On the one-year anniversary of their deaths, as the tragic struggle over former Yugoslavia continues, FRONTLINE pieces together the story of this couple's life and their struggle to build a future together in the midst of war and in defiance of the centuries-old Balkan conflict. [90 minutes]
Senator Dale Bumpers calls it 'probably the most outrageous practice still going on in this country.' He is referring to a federal law passed in 1872 that allows mining companies to extract billions of dollars in public minerals virtually for free. FRONTLINE, in co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting, examines the gold mining industry--which is in the midst of a boom bigger than the 1849 California gold rush--and the call for congressional reforms to halt environmental disasters and taxpayer giveaways. Correspondent Robert Krulwich surveys the impact of mining activities and focuses on the pitched political fight over control of mineral resources, like gold and silver, on public lands.
America continues to wage a battle against the stream of undocumented immigrants entering the country. An estimated three million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the US. Each year, another three hundred thousand illegal immigrants arrive in the US in addition to the nearly nine hundred thousand who are legally accepted. How long can America sustain this influx of immigrants? And how real are the growing fears about economic costs and long-term social and political disruption? Frontline correspondent William Langewiesche explores these questions, focusing on California.
What makes 11 year-old Evan lie, fight and steal? And what leads his parents to heap verbal abuse on their son, to tell him, 'I would like to lock you up in a cage and let everybody look at you like you're an animal'? Using surveillance cameras placed inside Evan's home, Frontline dramatically records one family's turmoil as they try to cope with and change their son's behavior and examines the vital connection between parenting and juvenile crime.
Integration. It was called the greatest social experiment of our generation. But 40 years after Brown v. Bd of Ed, many of our schools are still sharply segregated along color lines. America's changing demographics have tested the limits of our racial and ethnic tolerance, leaving many of us to ask whether the nation's diversity will enrich us or tear us apart. Follows one year in the lives of Berkeley CA students and principal.
As the Clinton administration claims significant progress in its commitment to streamline the federal government, Frontline investigates the one agency that is arguably the most resistant to reform--the Department of Agriculture. Focusing on the excesses, abuse, and mismanagement in the USDA's massive crop subsidy programs, Frontline examines how Congressional power has stymied a generation of agriculture secretaries, Republicans and Democrats alike, who have tired to reform the agency's bloated and outdated bureaucracy.
Frontline investigates a financial revolution--the movement of most of the world's money to huge off-shore banking centers, many located on the tiny islands of the Caribbean. The program examines how the secrecy and lax regulation of these off-shore centers play a critical role in facilitating international crime--money laundering, insurance fraud, and tax evasion.
Michael 'Mickey' Monus, the flamboyant co-founder and president of Phar-Mor, awaits criminal trial to decide if he was responsible for one of the largest corporate frauds in U.S. history. FRONTLINE tells the story of Phar-Mor's rapid rise and stunning fall and reveals how, for five years, the company's top executives were able to hide a $500 million shortfall from the company's auditors.
In 1969, Hillary Rodham Clinton and four hundred other smart, privileged, young women graduated from Wellesley College into a world that for the first time was opening its doors to women. But what about her classmates who left college believing they could do anything? In 1969, Hillary Rodham Clinton and four hundred other smart, privileged, young women graduated from Wellesley College into a world that for the first time was opening its doors to women.
FRONTLINE tells the story of Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler's bold attempt to regulate tobacco--an industry which has defied regulation for more than thirty years. The program details Kessler's efforts to prove that manufacturers have been manipulating nicotine in cigarettes to keep smokers hooked and examines how this mission may be in jeopardy because of the Republican landslide in Congress.
Before the average American child leaves elementary school, researchers estimate that he or she will have witnessed more than eight thousand murders on television. Has this steady diet of imaginary violence made America the world leader in real crime and violence? FRONTLINE correspondent Al Austin journeys through what is known about television violence and how it affects our lives. The program reveals some unexpected conclusions about the impact TV has on the way we view the world.
FRONTLINE presents a thoughtful and challenging examination of the Clinton presidency at midterm. Moving beyond the conventional analysis of Clinton's troubles and the Republican electoral victory, the program lays out a mosaic of perspectives and insights on the man and his performance from some of the nation's savviest political thinkers.
FRONTLINE travels to Colombia for an investigative biography of the rise and fall of the richest and most violent cocaine drug lord, Pablo Escobar. Before Colombian police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency hunted him down and killed him, Escobar built an estimated $4 billion fortune through international cocaine smuggling alliances and the violent repression of his enemies.
Each day, thousands of panhandlers work the streets and subways of cities all across America. Are the hard luck stories they tell believable? What are their lives really like off the street? Correspondent Deborah Amos explores the hidden world of panhandlers in New York City, gaining access to the intimate details of the their lives, investigating the real story of why they beg, and examining the impact of New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani's crackdown on panhandlers.
FRONTLINE explores the phenomenon of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Three hours each day, five days a week, Limbaugh is heard on more than 600 radio stations, in addition to hosting a daily half-hour television program. How much political clout does Limbaugh have? Tracing his rise to fame and fortune, the program also takes an in-depth look at Limbaugh's audience and asks what impact he had on the Republican congressional landslide.
Today, a raging debate over the validity of repressed memory about sexual abuse divides the therapeutic community, the women's movement, and thousands of accusers and accused. In 'Divided Memories,' producer Ofra Bikel examines the complicated issue of repressed memory, looking at what we know about memory and the way it works. Tracing the repression debate back to Sigmund Freud, Part 1 examines the different kinds of therapies used to help patients remember, including age-regression therapy, past-life therapy, and hypnosis.
Part 2 looks at the effects that remembered abuse has had on the families involved and explores how we distinguish real memories from those which are not true. 'We know that sexual abuse is a real problem,' says Bikel. 'But when the memories are not real, what makes the 'victim' so ready to believe they are? What cultural forces have made the explanation of sexual abuse so easy to accept?'
In February 1974, Nobel prize-winning author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was arrested, stripped of his Soviet citizenship, and expelled from his country. Nearly twenty years after exiling himself in Vermont, FRONTLINE accompanies Solzhenitsyn on his emotional return to his homeland, journeying by train across Russia into his past even as his thoughts turn toward the current troubles plaguing Russia. Followed--and often frustrated by--leagues of journalists, photographers, and camera crews, Solzhenitsyn urges the factory workers, businessmen, and ordinary villagers he meets along the way to have courage.
FRONTLINE explores the bond between parents and children and the profound implications for children's behavior later in life if that attachment is hampered. These characteristics may include overly aggressive behavior, serious learning problems, and delinquency. The program uses surveillance cameras in the homes of three middle-class families who are struggling with troubled children between the ages of sixteen months and three years and observes the behavior and interactions of the children and their parents. 'Even before they can speak, children give out signals,' says producer Neil Docherty. 'What are those signals? And what happens when they are misread or missed entirely?'
In less than two generations, a seismic shift has occurred in the makeup of the American family. Today,fatherlessness has become the norm for about forty percent of American children and, some experts believe, contributes to some of our most urgent social problems. FRONTLINE explores this dramatic change in the American family and the startling findings of sociologists that, despite economic status, children from single parent homes are twice as likely to drop out of high school, to become teen-age mothers, and to spend time in jail.
The Washington Post ran a week-long series of front-page articles about one Washington, D.C., resident and her family. Reporting on the interrelationships of poverty, racism, crime, illiteracy, and drug use and their persistence over generations, reporter Leon Dash spent four years getting to know RosaLee Cunningham, a thief, former prostitute and drug addict, and the mother of eight children. Dash observed first-hand the poverty, drug use, and crime now cycling through a third generation of RosaLee's family. FRONTLINE examines the reaction and controversy Dash's powerful report had among policymakers and amidst the African-American community and reveals what happens when the reporter-as-objective-observer erases the boundary between himself and his subject.
Prozac is the most prescribed antidepressant drug in America. FRONTLINE travels to the prozac capital of the world, Wenatchee, Washington, and talks to the 'Pied Piper of Prozac,' Dr. Jim Goodwin, a clinical psychologist who says Prozac is 'probably less toxic than salt' and has had it prescribed for all his seven hundred patients. Psychiatrist Peter Breggin and members of the Prozac Survivors Support Group, however, question the use of the drug.
Adrian Dedinger, who grew up across the street from an electric tower, became convinced of the dangers of electromagnetic fields after she and her family were diagnosed with multiple cancers and health disorders. She and other residents in Omaha, Nebraska, joined together when they discovered a high incidence of cancer in their neighborhood--all clustered close to power lines and an electric substation. Do the magnetic fields associated with electric power lines cause cancer? Are the cancers in Omaha due to the substation or simply to chance? FRONTLINE talks to people on both sides of the power line debate--concerned citizens and parents, journalists, physicists, biologists, and epidemiologists--examines the scientific data and explores the role politics plays in what information gains public attention and in funding studies on this issue.
FRONTLINE investigates the April 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas. With access to secret government documents, audio and videotapes, correspondent Peter Boyer of The New Yorker magazine probes the untold story of the fierce political infighting inside the FBI's Waco command center and in the corridors of power at the Justice Department in Washington.
FRONTLINE untangles the mysterious web of satanic ritual abuse, psychiatric treatment, and insurance claims that escalated into millions of dollars. Were these professed victims of secret satanic cults really helped by the psychiatric care they received?
FRONTLINE boldly goes where no one has gone before--tracking the new land rush to stake claims in cyberspace and asking hard questions about the optimistic predictions for a cyber-revolution. Correspondent Robert Krulwich reports on the effects these changes will have on the individual and how they will alter society.
In the last forty years, Rupert Murdoch has gone from publisher of a marginal newspaper in Adelaide, Australia, to chairman of one of the world's largest and wealthiest media empires. His business acumen combined with a gambling spirit has made him an enormously successful player in the communications industry. FRONTLINE correspondent Ken Auletta probes Murdoch's drive to establish the first global telecommunications network and examines how Murdoch's success has been dogged by controversy over journalistic standards and the use of political influence.
FRONTLINE takes a riveting and intimate look at a notorious murder case--the story of Maduev, a cunning Russian gangster and killer known as 'The Wolf.' Maduev charmed and seduced all who crossed his path, including his state prosecutor, Natasha Voronstova, who smuggled him a gun to make his escape from prison. With exclusive access to the central characters, the trial, and to secret KGB tapes, this film reveals the heart of a killer's chilling story that has mesmerized Russia.
Bill Moyers tells the story of several hardworking Milwaukee families struggling with low-paying jobs after previous employers downsized their operations. Filmed over a period of five years, these families were first featured in Moyers's 1992 documentary 'Minimum Wages: The New Economy.' FRONTLINE chronicles the families' emotional and financial strains, their search for better jobs and job retraining, and looks at Milwaukee's efforts to adapt to an ever-shrinking industrial sector.
Marking the fifth anniversary of the war with Iraq, FRONTLINE investigates what really happened during the invasion of Kuwait, the months of diplomatic maneuvering, the air war and ground assault, and the post-war rebellion inside Iraq. The two-hour episodes are built around dozens of interviews with key political and military leaders in the U.S., its allies, and Iraq, as well as soldiers on both sides of the front line. Interviews include General Norman Schwarzkopf, General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State James Baker, former Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney, Britain's Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Jordan's King Hussein, and Israeli Premier Yitzahk Shamir.
One year into the Republican revolution, FRONTLINE presents an investigative biography of House Speaker Newt Gingrich. FRONTLINE correspondent Peter J. Boyer, the New Yorker writer, examines the childhood roots of Gingrich's vaulting ambition, the evolution of his philosophy and political methods, his assault on the leadership of both parties in Congress, and how he developed and implemented his battle plans for a GOP takeover of Congress.
FRONTLINE investigates the expected $500 million flowing into the 1996 presidential campaign. Correspondent Robert Krulwich scrutinizes the generosity of prominent campaign donors whose interests range from bananas to computer chips and reveals what they get for their money.
Airing as his trial begins, FRONTLINE follows the intersecting lives of twenty-two-year-old antiabortionist, John Salvi III, charged with murder in the armed attacks on two Massachusetts health clinics, and his victims, Shannon Lowney and Leanne Nichols. Through in-depth, personal interviews with family members and friends, clinic employees, police, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice protesters, witnesses, and religious leader Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, the film draws a portrait of what led to Salvi's brutal acts of violence. From the producers of 'Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo,' this two-hour program crosses the emotionally charged terrain of the abortion battle.
More than 400,000 women are part of a proposed global settlement against U.S. breast-implant manufacturers in the largest lawsuit in history. Many claim they have contracted a wide range of silicone-related diseases, but recent medical studies conducted by the nation's premier researchers have failed to find any evidence that silicone breast implants are dangerous. As Congress actively examines the powers of the FDA and the possibilities of tort reform, FRONTLINE looks at the enormous stakes involved in the clash between biomedical science and the nation's most powerful litigators.
FRONTLINE investigates the war between network news and the tobacco industry in the wake of the $10 billion libel suit against ABC and the controversial decision by CBS not to allow 60 MINUTES to air an explosive interview with a tobacco company whistle-blower. As media companies increasingly come under the control of large corporations, will their newsrooms continue to aggressively report on corporate America?
FRONTLINE takes on the death penalty debate with a personal profile of the woman behind the highly acclaimed motion picture Dead Man Walking, Sister Helen Prejean. With her 1993 book adapted for Hollywood starring Susan Sarandon, the nun from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, became the nation's leading voice against the death penalty. FRONTLINE follows Prejean's crusade against the death penalty while serving as spiritual advisor to five death row inmates. The program centers on the grisly 1980 Louisiana murder of Faith Hathaway, a crime for which Robert Lee Willie was executed four years later. The film features the first, exclusive interview with Debbie Morris, a young woman who was kidnapped and brutally raped by Willie just three days before he raped and killed Hathaway. But Prejean's opposition to the death penalty has prompted criticism from death penalty advocates, including Hathaway's mother and step-father who believe the nun's compassion for condemned criminals, rather than their victims, is misguided.
To commemorate National Holocaust Remembrance Week, FRONTLINE travels back in time to a family shtetl, a small village in Bransk, Poland, with producer Marian Marzynski. As a child, Marzynski escaped the Warsaw ghetto and was raised by Christians. The remarkable three-hour film tells the homecoming story of two elderly Polish-American Jews who return to their families' shtetl ,Bransk, where 2,500 Jews lived before most were sent to Treblinka's gas chambers. These two Americans are aided in their journey by a Polish Gentile who has restored Bransk's Jewish cemetery and researched the lives of the Jews who once lived there. The film captures these pilgrims as they face old neighbors, some who were betrayers, others who were saviors to the Jews of Bransk.
Through five decades, Jesse Jackson has been trying to realize the promise of his own potential he first embraced as a boy in segregated Greenville, South Carolina. His life has been a headlong rush toward that end, fueled by a mix of personal aggrievement, ambition, his own vision of what America should be, and his quixotic but enduring belief that he might be able to change the country and the world. Drawn from journalist Marshall Frady's biography, Pilgrimage, the program is not only a rare in-depth look at the man, but also offers a portrait of race and politics in post-war America.
As Dr. Jack Kevorkian faces his third criminal trial for assisting in the suicide of his desperate patients, FRONTLINE examines the improbable saga of 'Dr. Death' and assesses how quickly the Michigan pathologist seized center stage in the intricate and emotional debate over physician-assisted suicide and what role he played in changing how America thinks about the end of life.
At the height of the Rust Belt primaries, FRONTLINE goes to Wisconsin where presidential candidates tap the deep-seated anxiety and insecurity that fuels tensions between American businesses and their employees. Correspondent Jeff Madrick looks behind the heated political rhetoric to see how companies, workers, and civic leaders are wrestling with global competition and the end of an era of industrial affluence. In a volatile economic climate, what do corporations owe their employees and their communities?
In the spring of 1989, students and workers occupied Beijing's Tiananmen Square and the world watched as China struggled with this wrenching upheaval in the name of democracy. 'The Gate of Heavenly Peace' documents the history of China's Protest Movement, providing context to the history and political attitudes which shaped the development of the movement, and reveals how moderates among student protesters and within the government were silenced by extremist factions. In its first television broadcast, the film reflects five years of meticulous research and interviews to construct the most complete and accurate account to date of the complex political process that eventually led to the Beijing Massacre on June 4.
FRONTLINE opens its fifteenth season on PBS with a dual biography of the 1996 presidential candidates, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. Interweaving their public careers and private lives, the two-hour report offers an illuminating portrait of each candidate's record and, most importantly, his character, to help voters understand what kind of president each might be.
FRONTLINE examines the Navy after Tailhook, an investigation of seismic shock caused by the sex scandal involving naval aviators five years ago and its continuing impact on the Navy. The film explores the controversy over the post-Tailhook mandate to introduce women into combat roles and positions of greater authority. The report also looks at how these pressures weighed on Admiral Mike Boorda, the Navy's chief of naval operations, who committed suicide the following spring.
FRONTLINE offers a tough, insider's examination of the culture and tactics of the national press corps. With public respect for the press at an all-time low-----on par with public regard for politicians----journalists have begun to break ranks to probe what has gone wrong. FRONTLINE follows the nation's top political journalists along the 1996 presidential campaign trail and behind the scenes of the weekly talk shows where reporters are transformed into celebrity pundits. Through the eyes of a few key journalists, this report explores the dynamics of the news business and its troubling impact on American politics.
FRONTLINE investigates the new nuclear nightmare of the post-Cold War era. While the fear of nuclear annihilation has faded, the security of 1,400 tons of weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium----enough nuclear material to make roughly 100,000 weapons----is vulnerable to theft in the former Soviet Union. Top American officials call its potential diversion to rogue states or terrorist groups a major threat to U.S. national security. FRONTLINE examines the most serious case of nuclear smuggling in Russia to date and explores the perilous state of nuclear security in a country already rife with chaos and corruption.
FRONTLINE producer June Cross tells the intricate story of her own family through the prism of the changing face of race relations in America. Cross, born to a white mother and an African-American father in the early 1950s, was given away by her mother to live with a black family in Atlantic City when she was four.She only saw her mother and stepfather, TV star Larry Storch, on visits to Hollywood during school vacations. But Cross's mother was afraid her husband's career would be destroyed if the truth about Cross was discovered, so she kept her a secret. FRONTLINE takes viewers on an epic journey across the racial divide, into the hidden world of Hollywood and deep into the complicated relationship between a daughter and the mother who gave her away.
For fourteen years, Wall Street has produced record gains and has been embraced by America as the place where hopes and dreams can be realized -- but does America understand the nature of the risk? Since the beginning of the 1980s, close to half the nation has invested in the stock market directly or through mutual funds, which now hold three trillion dollars of the American public's money. Frontline traces the seduction of an entire generation of Americans into the stock market and looks at its implications for the nation. The program follows Garrett Van Wagoner, one of the nation's hottest mutual fund managers, and tells the story of Peter Lynch, celebrated manager of Fidelity's Magellan Fund.
FRONTLINE showcases the latest work of filmmaker Ross McElwee, producer of the widely acclaimed 'Sherman's March' and 'Time Indefinite.' In Six O'clock News,' McElwee and his camera investigate the aftermath of the life-shattering events reported every day on the evening news. Moving beyond the graphic television images of violence and natural disasters, McElwee seeks out the individuals whose lives have been inexplicably altered by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires, and murder. The result is a thought-provoking journey across the tenuous line between order and chaos and an inquiry into how these events impact the victims' faith in God. In an introspective and sometimes humorous broadcast, McElwee explores the 'nagging metaphysical questions' behind the 'Six O'clock News.'
Identified by the victim, Ronald Cotton spent eleven years in prison for rape. But in 1995, DNA evidence proved Cotton could not have been the attacker. With unprecedented access to the central figures in the investigation, confidential police reports and legal files, FRONTLINE delves into the Cotton case, examining the reliability of eyewitness identification and the implications of DNA evidence for the American justice system. In an exclusive interview, Jennifer Thompson tells the story of her brutal rape and how, twelve years later, she must confront the consequences of her mistaken identification.
Four days after the slaughter of her village, Valentina, a thirteen-year-old Tutsi girl, lay hidden among the corpses of her family and neighbors, her machete wounds festering with infection. Miraculously, she would survive to tell her story. FRONTLINE looks back at the origins and the horrors of the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsis by the Hutu majority in Rwanda and examines the country's struggle for justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the bloody genocide.
For six years, Carlos and Raul Salinas ruled Mexico -- Carlos as president, his brother Raul as his political fixer. The brothers convinced Washington, Wall Street, and the Mexican people a new age of political freedom and the prosperity had dawned for Mexico. But in 1994, within days of Salinas leaving office, the Mexican economy collapsed, throwing the world financial system into crisis and revealing a story of scandal, corruption, and murder which left Carlos in exile and Raul in prison. FRONTLINE follows this modern fable of two brothers, exploring the charges of corruption in the Salinas government and examining the fallout of Mexico's economic demise for America and the world.
As campaign finance scandals dominate the headlines, FRONTLINE correspondent Peter Boyer follows the story of how easily small-time political operators Nora and Gene Lum have used a little money and a lot of moxie to get close to the president. Boyer journeys to Hawaii in search of this husband and wife team of local political fixers, who in two years parlayed a handful of political contributions into millions of dollars of personal wealth and fourteen visits to the White House.
Since 1978, no new nuclear power stations have been commissioned in the United States. Americans, once enthusiastic about nuclear power, now consider it one of the most serious risks to human life and health. But the American people's aversion to nuclear power has perplexed many nuclear scientists who believe it poses only trivial risks to the public. FRONTLINE correspondent and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Rhodes looks at what has derailed nuclear power in the United States and at the differing national attitudes toward nuclear power.
It was an unthinkable crime. In California, a six-year-old boy entered the home of a neighbor to steal a tricycle and savagely beat Ignacio Bermudez, Jr., a thirty-day-old infant. The boy was arrested and became the youngest person in U.S. history ever charged with attempted murder. Today, doctors fear Ignacio may never walk, see, or care for himself. In a film of surprising candor and emotional depth, FRONTLINE explores the conscience of a community and the haunting problem of violent crimes committed by ever-younger children.
In a journalistic odyssey of more than three decades, filmmaker Adrian Cowell ventures into a remote corner of Burma known as Shan State, where much of the world's heroin originates. FRONTLINE chronicles the rise and fall of Khun Sa, a Shan nationalist leader and warlord who has long been a chief target of U.S. drug enforcement. In interviews with drug-war figures ranging from opium farmers to U.S. officials, Cowell unravels the complex political, economic, and diplomatic web that surrounds the heroin business.
FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel revisits the defendants in the Little Rascals Day Care sexual abuse case and reports on how each of them, while accused of the same crimes, have met with dramatically different fates. In 1991, FRONTLINE broadcast Bikel's Emmy Award-winning profile of Edenton, North Carolina, a town torn by reports of sexual abuse emerging from its best day-care center. More than thirty people were accused, and seven were eventually indicted on hundreds of abuse charges. In 1993, 'Innocence Lost: The Verdict,' winner of a DuPont Columbia Silver Baton and the Grand Prize at the Banff Television Festival, detailed stunning courtroom events and raised serious questions about the fairness of the trials which resulted in twelve life sentences for Little Rascals owner Bob Kelly and one life sentence for day-care worker Dawn Wilson. 'Innocence Lost: The Plea' reveals what has become of those caught up in this controversial case.
Two years ago, Evelyn Garcia was shot to death. Police arrested her husband -- a twice convicted felon -- but when they tried to trace the murder weapon, the manufacturer said the gun had never been made. How could a gun that kills not exist? FRONTLINE and the Center for Investigative Reporting take viewers inside the illegal handgun market and follow federal agents as they investigate one of their biggest cases ever into stolen guns and the illicit gun market.
Casino gambling -- once the domain of mobsters and hustlers -- has emerged as one of the most popular forms of adult entertainment. Since 1992, gaming revenues have doubled along with the number of states that have made it legal. Today, the gaming industry is no longer an outlaw business, but it is a national economic force with substantial political muscle. FRONTLINE chronicles how America's gaming industry has gone legit and examines the evolution of its political influence. The film also explores the astonishing growth of Indian gaming and the surprising role governments have played in promoting and legitimizing gambling.
It may be the final tragedy of the Holocaust. For years, many survivors and their families have tried in vain to collect assets deposited in Swiss banks before the war. Most were turned away empty-handed. Today, new information about Switzerland's financial relationship to the Nazi war effort has blemished its long-held reputation of neutrality. FRONTLINE examines the Swiss role in supporting Nazi Germany and explores the internal political events in Switzerland that allowed their border police to turn fleeing Jews away, into the hands of the Gestapo. The film also examines the Swiss response as they have been forced to address Holocaust survivors seeking reparations.
As charges and countercharges surrounding Arkansas business deals plague the White House, and are the focus of independent counsel Kenneth Starr, FRONTLINE takes a close look at the personal finances of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Correspondent Peter Boyer investigates the Clintons' past in Arkansas and reveals fresh evidence that casts new light on the troubles reaching into the private quarters of the White House.
FRONTLINE explores the extraordinary life and mysterious disappearance of Fred Cuny, a passionate humanitarian and global trouble-shooter who traveled from Biafra to Bosnia, bringing hope to countless lives in need. A hero to some, a renegade to others, Cuny's strength lay in his ability to look beyond the immediate crisis -- drought, civil discord, earthquakes -- in order to restore a way of life. Like a character lifted from a John le Carre novel, Cuny was a larger-than-life, take-charge Texan with a hunger for lost causes. But after twenty-five years in the field, Cuny was tired of dealing with disasters after they happened instead of the underlying causes. He wanted to be a deal broker, to take a seat at the table where major policy is made. Did that ambition kill him? The investigation traces Cuny's last days in Chechnya, unravels the story of his disappearance, and explores the lessons of his life in an examination of America's responsibilities for the humanitarian disasters that plague our world.
FRONTLINE examines the secret history of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its equally formidable political arm, Sinn Fein, which have waged a bloody campaign in Northern Ireland for over a quarter of a century. The film traces the history of the IRA and Sinn Fein, the most sophisticated guerrilla movement in the world, examining their tactics, weapons, and operational structures and assesses the chances of a final resolution to one of the century's oldest and bloodiest conflicts.
Journalist and China-watcher Orville Schell, who traveled secretly to Tibet for FRONTLINE in 1994, returns to a story that won't go away. Broadcast on the eve of Chinese premier Jiang Zemin's 1997 trip to Washington and at the same time that two new Hollywood films focus on Tibet, DREAMS OF TIBET looks at the new attention that is being paid to a country that has long been a political 'cause celebre.' Schell explores the clash of values between American opinion of China's human rights record -- shaped by powerful forces in Hollywood -- and an uncomprehending and intransigent Chinese leadership.
America's marine theme parks are big business, attracting twenty million visitors each year. FRONTLINE examines the money, power, and politics of the captive marine mammal industry through the story of Keiko, the killer whale star of Hollywood's, FREE WILLY. The film traces Keiko's fourteen years in captivity, examines the capture, transport, and treatment of marine mammals, and explores human understanding of, and relationship with, these large creatures.
The day Princess Diana died in Paris, her brother, Earl Spencer, blamed the media for her death. FRONTLINE examines how the Royal Family's relationship with the British press, once governed by unwritten rules of privacy, evolved into the media circus that surrounded Princess Diana in her final years.
In the years following the return home of the last U.S. troops who participated in ground war in the Persian Gulf, attention has turned from the historic victory to a strange new sickness the press has dubbed Gulf War Syndrome. But while many veterans believe something in the Gulf made them ill, scientists argue Gulf War veterans are not dying or being hospitalized at a higher-than-average rate. FRONTLINE tells the story of how Gulf War Syndrome came into existence, examining the psychology of war, the politics of veterans affairs, and the roles of the media and the biomedical research community.
I began my journey as a voyeur in the landscape of old age, but when it was over I was an insider,' says FRONTLINE producer Marian Marzynski. Marzynski, who calls himself somewhere between a boomer and a geezer,' takes viewers on a personal and poignant journey into America's way of growing old. As the baby boom generation begins to anticipate age, Marzynski settles into the life of Miami Beach's condo complexes, investigating the retirees' struggle to leave behind their old lives and to find new meaning and new joy in life's final chapter.
Today, America has the largest black middle class in its history, yet half of all black children are born into poverty. Have the walls of segregation tumbled down, only to be replaced by walls of class? FRONTLINE correspondent and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., grapples with the issues facing the 'two nations of black America' as he takes a personal journey that measures the distance between the beneficiaries of affirmative action and those they left behind.
FRONTLINE presents the epic story of the rise of Christianity. Drawing upon new and sometimes controversial historical evidence, the series transports the viewer back two thousand years to the time and place where Jesus of Nazareth once lived and preached and challenges familiar assumptions and conventional notions about the origins of Christianity. Program 1 traces the life of Jesus of Nazareth, exploring the message that helped his ministry grow and the events that led to his crucifixion around 30 c.e. The film then turns to the period that followed Jesus' death, examining the rise of Christianity and concluding with the First Revolt -- the bloody and violent siege of Jerusalem and the beginning of a rift between Christianity and Judaism. The broadcast explores new evidence suggesting that Jesus' followers because of their diversity and the differences in their cultures and languages, looked at and interpreted Jesus and his teachings in many different ways.
In program 2, FRONTLINE examines the period after the First Revolt, tracing the development and impact of the Gospels and looking at the increasingly hostile relationship between the Christians and the Jews. The film looks at another bloody Jewish war against Rome, the second Revolt, assessing its impact on the Christianity movement. The broadcast documents the extraordinary events of the second and third centuries in which Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect to an official religion of the Roman Empire.
Today, providing health care is a profit-driven enterprise which is subject to the forces of the marketplace and operated by administrators with their eyes on the bottom line. But has too much of the decision-making power been taken away from the doctors, nurses, and patients? FRONTLINE looks at how in the wake of a failed attempt by the Clinton administration to provide universal health care for every American, the industry has undergone a dramatic transformation. The film examines the changing health-care industry through an in-depth look at how California and Massachusetts hospitals are coping with this health-care revolution.
The United States government spends nearly $2.5 billion each year to process arrests related to marijuana production and sales, which often carry severe penalties. While the war on marijuana may be going strong do the results prove it a boom or a bust? FRONTLINE explores the impact of current policy on stemming the tide of marijuana use and looks at how marijuana law enforcement is affecting American life.
FRONTLINE goes inside the tobacco deal, telling the intriguing tale of how a group of small-town lawyers from the nation's poorest state brought Big Tobacco to the bargaining table. FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman follows the trail of confidential Brown & Williamson documents that were leaked, examines the role of former presidential adviser Dick Morris in shaping Clinton's stance on tobacco, and reveals new information about the government's criminal case against the tobacco industry.
In a rare in-depth television interview given by a sitting independent counsel, Donald Smaltz takes FRONTLINE inside his investigation of former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy. FRONTLINE correspondent Peter Boyer steps behind the current controversy about Kenneth Starr to find out what these independent counsels really want, how far they'll go to get it, and why they cost so much money.
FRONTLINE examines the dramatic hunt for Radovan Karadzic, the notorious Bosnian Serb leader indicted for atrocities by the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague, but still at large in the former Yugoslavia. The film investigates Karadzic's rise to power, the war crimes committed during his rule, and why NATO and U.S. forces have failed to arrest him.
FRONTLINE examines new evidence in the controversy over the danger of manmade chemicals to human health and the environment, thirty-five years after Rachel Carson first raised concerns of an impending ecological crisis. Currently, millions in research and public relations dollars are being spent in the battle, and President Clinton is calling this one of his top environmental priorities. The film takes viewers inside the world of scientists, politicians, activists, and business officials embroiled in this high-stakes debate that threatens the multibillion dollar chemical industry.
Filmmaker David Sutherland takes us deep inside the passionate, troubled marriage of Juanita and Darrel Buschkoetter, a young farm couple in rural Nebraska facing the loss of everything they hold dear. In the first of three episodes, Darrel and Juanita tell the story of their love and their emotional struggles in their own words, without the intrusion of a narrator.
Juanita, Darrel, and their three girls follow the rhythms of everyday life on the Buschkoetter farm, reminiscent of a forgotten, simpler time in America. When an early frost in September destroys a third of their crop, Darrel must earn extra money working a nearby farm by day and do his own farming by night. Juanita cleans houses while trying to get a college degree so Darrel can stay home and farm, but Darrel worries that if she goes off the farm she'll find something she likes better. By Christmas, they are broke and unsure of their future.
Darrel finally harvests the bumper crop he's dreamt about his whole life, but still has to work for another farmer to make enough money to feed his family. Stressed and exhausted, he explodes, causing Juanita to take the girls and leave for a week. The marriage seems doomed, but Darrel learns through counseling to deal with his anger and undergoes extraordinary personal growth. Now he is the at-home parent, farming and caring for his three daughters. Juanita, who has earned a college degree, works at a respected crop insurance company in town, helping other farmers. The film ends with hope--through faith and hard work, the Buschkoetters save their farm and rediscover the love that binds them.
With U.S. special forces now participating in a ground war in Afghanistan, FRONTLINE updates this 1998 investigation of a United Nations peacekeeping mission gone awry. On October 3, 1993, elite units of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force were pinned down on the streets of Mogadishu by forces of the Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid. Seventeen hours later, eighteen American soldiers were dead and seventy-five lay wounded. The Rangers and Delta Force are now fighting in Afghanistan. FRONTLINE investigates new charges that Osama bin Laden trained and supported the Somali fighters responsible for the attack and explores the lessons learned by the U.S. military.
The 1996 presidential campaign was the most expensive in history and the most corrupt since Richard Nixon's 1974 re-election. Janet Reno has now renewed deliberations over the appointment of an independent prosecutor to examine the campaigns financial abuses, and the McCain/Feingold reform legislation is being debated in the Senate. In a special report with Bill Moyers, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to explore how both Democrats and Republicans conspired to evade the laws which limit the amount of money allowed to flow into election campaigns.
Today, there are at least ten nations in the world with the ability to produce biological weapons. Cheap and now technologically possible to produce and refine into weapons of mass destruction, biological warfare has the potential to do as much damage to civilian populations as nuclear weapons. FRONTLINE presents new evidence culled from scientists, intelligence agencies, and policymakers to examine the threat biological warfare poses to world security and the responses the U.S. is frantically developing.
In the midst of a sudden willingness to believe that children were being ritually abused in day-care centers during the 1980s, parents, police, prosecutors, and the press turned Miami, Florida, into ground zero for a new way of convicting alleged child molesters. Led by Florida's then-prosecuting attorney, Janet Reno, alleged abusers were relentlessly pursued and convicted with a zeal unmatched in the nation. Today, as some of Reno's celebrated cases seem to be unraveling, FRONTLINE correspondent Peter J. Boyer examines the convictions that were a stunning triumph for the crusading prosecuting attorney and created an emerging political model that would be emulated by prosecutors across the country.
Despite the appeals of the multi-billion dollar diet and exercise industries, the United States is getting fatter. The media bombards us with images of thin models exuding the message that to be thin is to be beautiful. But for many of us, being thin is a difficult, if not impossible, achievement. FRONTLINE examines how the diet industry is contributing to our frustration over unwanted pounds and asks if one can be healthy, fit, beautiful and fat.
In the last five years, nearly a third of defendants in federal drug trafficking cases have had their sentences reduced because they informed on other people they snitched. With the prospect of mandatory life sentences facing many charged with drug crimes, the only option to escape their fate is to inform on someone else, resulting in unsettling cases in which minor offenders are serving harsh prison sentences. FRONTLINE takes a critical look at the federal governments disturbing use of informants in drug prosecutions and the effect it has had on individuals rights and the U.S. judicial system. The web site for "Snitch" delves deeper into the story offering: a report on a recent federal court ruling challenging government leniency deals; an interview with producer Ofra Bikel; experts' views on the pros and cons of using informers; a closer look at cases profiled in the program; more of the interviews with judges and prosecutors; and, a smart quiz on drug laws and prosecutions.
It is one of the most shameful stories of the post-Cold War world. One million Tutsis were slaughtered by the Hutu majority in Rwanda while the West turned a blind eye. As the U.N.s Genocide Convention created to make sure genocide would never happen again marks its fiftieth anniversary, FRONTLINE examines the role of the U.S. and the U.N. as they ignored the warnings and evidence of impending massacre in Rwanda.
FRONTLINE looks into the mind and soul of a death row killer and the effect of his execution on all who had a stake in it. Clifford Boggess was a pianist and artist. He was also a cold-blooded murderer. Boggess spent almost ten years on Texas' death row praying and awaiting the execution chamber. And while he prayed, the tormented families of his two victims brutally slain in convenience store robberies impatiently awaited the lethal injection that took his life in June 1998. FRONTLINE's web site offers a collection of material explaining Boggess--Who was he? Should he have been executed? The site presents video of Boggess describing in brutal detail the two murders; an expert's analysis of whether Boggess fit the profile of a psychopath; the letters Boggess wrote to his victims 'families; his artwork. The site also includes articles on: why Texas is the number one execution state; a history of capital punishment; a report on the speed up in habeas corpus appeals; and the best pro and con death penalty arguments by Supreme Court Justices, Pope John Paul II, legal scholars, the American Bar Association and U.S. Catholic Bishops.
The Cold War is ended, but the threat of a nuclear nightmare is far from over. In 1995 Russian President Yeltsin came within two minutes of launching a nuclear attack because of faulty signals from Russia's crumbling early warning system. FRONTLINE's investigation into the safety and security of the Russian nuclear arsenal presents interviews with U.S. and Russian military commanders about the menacing potential for catastrophe. It also includes top Russian military discussing missing Russian nuclear suitcase bombs and U.S Customs agents describing the first credible case of a scenario to smuggle tactical nuclear weapons in the U.S. The web site will offer more details on nuclear suitcase bombs and the tactical nuclear weapons smuggling case in Miami. Plus, extended interviews with nuclear policy experts and Russian nuclear commanders and maps of Russian nuclear facilities.
FRONTLINE's "Hunting Bin Laden," produced in collaboration with The New York Times, investigates Osama bin Laden, who is charged with masterminding the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa which killed 224 and injured over 5,000. A wealthy Saudi Arabian exile who is now believed to be hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan with a $5 million bounty on his head--this report explores who bin Laden is, offering intriguing background and insight into his life and motives: from his formative experience in the Afghan jihad, or holy war, against the Soviets, to his scathing attacks on the Saudi royal family and his campaign to drive American "infidel" troops out of Saudi Arabia, to his statements and fatwahs calling for the murder of innocent Americans. But is the U.S. fixation on bin Laden correct? While U.S. investigators have targeted him as the leader and financier of a complex terrorism network with active cells all over the world, some informed observers believe the U.S. has exaggerated his role and, in doing so, turned Osama bin Laden into a folk hero for the Muslim world. Interviewing a range of Muslim leaders and activists, "Hunting Bin Laden" also examines whether the bombings and bin Laden's vendettas reflect a widespread anger against the United States throughout the Islamic world. One example of this is the reaction of an American Muslim community to the presence of American forces in Saudi Arabia, the land of Islam's holy mosques. Almost universally they feel it is a profound religious insult. "The Africa embassy bombings is not the problem," says one of them, "Africa is the expression of the problem." This FRONTLINE/New York Times report also raises tough questions about the evidence used to justify Washington's retaliatory missile strikes in Sudan against bin Laden. Drawing on interviews and official documents, the report shows how U.S. officials have backed away from their original statements that the targeted Sudanese factory was linked to chemical
In the wake of Desert Fox, the U.S. assault on Iraq last December,UNSCOM--the special UN commission created to find and destroy Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction--has disintegrated amid charges it was really a spy agency. Scott Ritter, former U.S. Marine and UNSCOM inspector, claims U.S. Intelligence destroyed UNSCOM's credibility when American spies penetrated and compromised the UN arms inspection teams. FRONTLINE investigates Ritter's charges and asks, who really killed UNSCOM?
FRONTLINE explores the bitter divide between military and civilian attitudes about where, when, and why America employs military force. In examining the gulf between what American diplomats want and what the military is prepared to deliver, correspondent Peter J. Boyer follows the inevitable collision from Vietnam to the Balkans between diplomat Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Leighton Smith. Their careers, and ultimate clash, represent the most vivid example of this critical foreign policy dilemma Special reports on FRONTLINE's web site include one examining the evolution of the doctrine on the use of military force and, a chronology of significant U.S. military interventions over the past 30 years. Also published on the site is an analysis of the new kind of diplomacy--'nation-building' backed by military might. Several top experts debate the pros and cons. The site also offers brief biographies of Holbrooke and Smith, parallel chronologies of their lives and careers, and, a selection of key readings on the issues examined in the FRONTLINE broadcast.
FRONTLINE profiles the most widely known and revered political leader in the world--Nelson Mandela. Credited with the reversal of apartheid in a South Africa controlled by two generations of stern Afrikaner leaders who enforced the ideology of racial separation, Mandela stands as an all-embracing giant who brought about his nations extraordinary peaceful transformation to democracy. In the most in-depth film biography of Mandela ever undertaken, the broadcast tells the story of his life through interviews with intimates--from his most trusted associates to his jailers on Robben Island, the prison where he was held for twenty-seven years. The two-hour film offers an insider's account of his extraordinary will to lead and of the great risk and personal sacrifice he endured to achieve democracy and equality for the people of his nation.
FRONTLINE examines the revolution in reproduction and the entrepreneurial atmosphere that imbues the practice of infertility medicine today. On the cusp of a new millennium, we can now visit the Internet and shop for sperm and egg donors. Before long, cloning could do away with the need for sperm altogether. The film looks at how these new technologies hold great promise, but usher in pressing questions regarding the very meaning of family. The web site will offer readings and interviews with major thinkers on the moral, philosophical and societal issues surrounding the extraordinary advances in reproductive medicine; present explanations/diagrams of some of the newest medical breakthroughs; and offer a selection of the most noteworthy readings and resources on infertility.
In his first film, acclaimed photographer Joel Meyerowitz creates a poignant and indelible portrait of his father, an unpredictable, courageous, and remarkably funny man who somehow manages to make Alzheimer's disease look like another of his many adventures. As the curtain of this disease falls over Hy Meyerowitz, Joel and his son take him on a two-week car trip from Florida back to the New York neighborhood where he raised his family. Relaxed and free enough to say anything that comes to mind, Hy imparts his wisdom to all he meets along the way? Wisdom gained from a long life observing human foibles. In the week of Father's Day, the film is a moving tribute to a father from his son and reminds us that the present moment is one of life's real treasures. The web site will include a short piece on Hy Meyerowitz's life and career; links on Alzheimer's disease; and excerpts from radio interviews with Joel Meyerowitz about making the film with his son and father.
FRONTLINE explores the global crisis that began as a real estate bust in Thailand and roared through the worlds economy from Bangkok to Jakarta to Moscow to Wall Street. On August 31, 1998, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 512 points, wiping out stock market gains for the entire year. In the United States, small investors watched more than half a trillion dollars of their savings disappear. Fear spread that the global economy was falling apart. The program gathers some of the worlds leading financial analysts to unravel the reasons for the crash of 1998 and to predict whether and when it will happen again. The web site will take a closer look at how the 1998 world financial crisis played out in one country; examine the most significant ideas under discussion for reforming the global economic system; and, will present more of the in-depth interviews with the experts as well as a special readings and links section.
FRONTLINE presents a comprehensive biography on the world leader who has emerged as a man at war with the twentieth century itself. In the two decades John Paul II has commanded the world stage, re-invigorating the Catholic Church in much of the world, he has defined himself by his opposition to many of the dominant secular ideologies and passions of our time: communism, feminism, capitalism and consumerism. The program draws on hundreds of interviews--from intimates of the Pope, to those whose lives have intersected with his. Their stories are evocative of major themes in the Pope's life: the shaping influence of his youth in Poland, his remarkable relationship with Jews, his part in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, his battle with liberation theology, his repudiation of the ordination of women, and his relentless exhortation to faith. The film is a journey through the 20th century to the sources of Pope John Paul II's character and beliefs, and a journey into the passionate reaction to him. It's a journey that says as much about us as it does about him.
How fair are standardized tests? What do they measure? And what's their impact on racial diversity on America's college campuses? FRONTLINE examines the debate over fairness in college admissions, looking at the national obsession with test scores, the multimillion dollar test prep industry, and the legal challenges to race-sensitive admissions policies. A diverse set of students are followed through the stressful college admissions cycle as they dream of attending some of the country's most prestigious universities.
FRONTLINE investigates how the tentacles of Russian organized crime have penetrated the National Hockey League. The report exposes how major Russian crime figures are extorting Russian-born players and using their hockey connections to establish a beachhead in the U.S. and Canada. Over the course of a ten-month investigation, FRONTLINE conducted dozens of interviews with sources in the Russian underworld, professional hockey representatives and law enforcement agencies in Russia, the U.S., and Canada. FRONTLINE's web site deepens this report with excerpts from congressional hearings and law enforcement reports, plus the extended interviews and profiles of central figures.
Conyers, Georgia is a prosperous bedroom community just outside Atlanta. FRONTLINE examines the link between an outbreak of syphilis among a group of its teenagers and the well-off community in which they live. The film reveals a parent's worst nightmare--children as young as fourteen naming scores of sexual partners; others telling of binge drinking, drugs and sex parties. In a series of intertwining profiles, FRONTLINE uncovers the roots of the Conyers syphilis epidemic and reveals the turbulent psychology of America's suburban teenagers.
From Waco and Littleton to Y2K and global warming, as the millennium approaches, we are bombarded by visions of the apocalypse. From the team that created "From Jesus to Christ," this two-hour FRONTLINE special journeys back more than 2500 years to unravel the origins of the Book of Revelation and how its apocalyptic expectations have shaped our history and our world.
In part II of the Apocalypse!, FRONTLINE traces the orgins of the Book of Daniel and how it continues to influence modern apocalyptic thinking. And, they exmamine the anti-Christs of recent history.
FRONTLINE and Bill Moyers investigate how campaign cash is corrupting America's courts. In the thirty-nine states where judges are elected, special interest money is pouring into judicial politics, threatening to compromise judicial independence. The film focuses on three states--Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania--and documents efforts by special interest groups to influence judges and their decisions.
Fifteen years ago, DNA analysis was nonexistent. Today, more than seventy inmates accused of rape and murder have been freed because DNA tests proved their innocence in a way that evidence, courtroom testimony, and eyewitness accounts never could. Why then are prosecutors, courts, and even governors reluctant to use this scientific test? And when evidence has been tested and DNA does not match that of the accused, how can the law overlook the results? FRONTLINE investigates the reasons why inmates remain in prison despite DNA evidence that excludes them as the perpetrators.
In May 1998, a year before the massacre at Columbine High, fifteen-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his mother and father, and then opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two fellow students and wounding twenty-five others. In this first in-depth television examination of a school shooter, FRONTLINE reveals the intimate inside story of how the "shy and likeable" Kip Kinkel from a solid middle-class family became the boy police call "a cold-hearted killer."
When the Gulf War ended, the United States government believed the Iraqis would quickly overthrow Saddam Hussein. But nine years later, he still rules Iraq. FRONTLINE investigates Saddam's ruthless rise to power and how he has maintained his grip despite pressure from economic sanctions, no-fly zones, UN weapons inspectors, and military attacks from the Iraqi opposition.
On February 19, 1999, in Sylacauga, Alabama, 39-year-old computer programmer Billy Jack Gaither was murdered - the victim of a violent hate crime. One of the convicted killers testified he killed Gaither because he was "queer." Why have gays like Gaither and Matthew Shepard become the targets of such brutality? On February 15, nearly one year after the Gaither murder, FRONTLINE correspondent Forrest Sawyer explores the roots of homophobia in America-as a catalyst for hate crimes and as a phenomenon that permeates our society-and asks how these attitudes, beliefs, and fears contribute to the recent rise in violence against gays.
Twelve months ago, in the skies above Kosovo, NATO went to war. It was a war that unleashed terrible brutality. On one side was a ruthless leader-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic-who claimed history was on his side. On the other, an alliance whose politicians believed that this was a crusade for moral values. It was a war where the politicians, rather than the military commanders, dictated the battlefield strategy and tactics. At its end, the war had produced one million refugees, thousands of civilian deaths, and a broken land still without peace. FRONTLINE correspondent Peter Boyer undertakes the first in-depth examination of a European war rife with diplomatic infighting and military stumbling.
In the second hour of this analysis of a military effort hampered by diplomatic infighting, senior military leaders -- including Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark, in his first in-depth interview -- tell the story of political constraints, internal divisions and miscalculations that shaped the war in Bosnia.
In the 1990s, cost-cutting HMOs were reviled as the enemy of doctors and patients. After fighting to regain control of the medical process, doctors are now struggling to manage tough financial decisions as well as patient care. On a daily basis, doctors find themselves faced with the often excruciating responsibility of balancing quality care against their own bottom line. FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith goes inside one of Harvard Medical Schools premier teaching hospitals and discovers Dr. Martin Solomon, a highly rated primary care physician, embroiled in the most bitter conflict of his career. He and his colleagues battle with each other over cutting costs, worry about the impact of red ink on their own income, and fear the struggle between care and costs will not only damage quality but will ultimately tear apart the trust between doctors and patients.
Since the late 1980s, rising temperatures and dramatic weather-from heat waves and hurricanes to melting glaciers-have fueled a global political and scientific debate about whether life on earth is imperiled by human-caused global warming. NOVA and FRONTLINE join forces to examine what climatologists really know about the greenhouse effect. What is the connection between rising levels of carbon dioxide and rising temperatures? And what will the real impact of global warming be? The program examines the enormous difficulty in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in a highly technological world economy and explores the political struggle between environmentalists and industrialists, between rich and poor countries, to grapple with what promises to be the most perplexing issue of the twenty-first century.
For years there existed a rumor that Thomas Jefferson had a long-standing relationship and several children by Sally Hemings, a woman who was his slave. Now, DNA tests all but prove the rumor true. An early hero of the anti-slavery movement, Jefferson wrote brilliantly of the corrupting influence of slavery on blacks and whites alike. Yet it is now apparent that he lived a dual life, sharing his house with his white daughter and grandchildren while his unacknowledged mistress and his children by her worked in the same house as slaves. In a personal essay, FRONTLINE correspondent Shelby Steele examines Jefferson's life and follows the descendants of Jefferson and Hemings as they undergo DNA testing, search out their family history, and try to sort out their place along America's blurred color line.
Almost a decade after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia is arguably more free than at any time in its history. But while the West has applauded the market reforms of former President Boris Yeltsin, in Russia there has been collapse. Today, as the country is being militarized, anti-Western propaganda is increasing. In pushing its ideas of reform, did the U.S. turn a blind eye to Kremlin illegality and compromise the moral authority America cultivated throughout the Cold War? As career KGB officer Vladimir Putin-Yeltsin's anointed successor-is set to ascend to Russia's presidency, FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at what Russia has become and why.
With more students than ever enrolled in kindergarten through high school, education is now a top voter concern. What's needed to improve our public schools-better teachers, smaller classes, greater parent involvement, higher standards, more tests? Or, is privatization the answer? Democrats and Republicans differ sharply on the hot button issue of school vouchers and whether public funds should be used to pay for private or parochial schools. FRONTLINE explores the heated political debate over the reform of public education and investigates the spectrum of "school choice" options-from vouchers to charter schools to for-profit academies-and their growing popularity in troubled inner cities. FRONTLINE also interviews presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush about their views on reform initiatives and looks at their track records on improving public schools.
As Americans prepare for the first presidential election of the 21st century, FRONTLINE opens its nineteenth season with a dual biography of the two men who hope to become the next president of the United States. The two-hour documentary goes beyond the political rhetoric to explore how the candidates and their values have been shaped by family background, history, victory and defeat. By eschewing political pundits in favor of insightful comments from friends, mentors, historians, and spiritual advisors, "The Choice 2000" offers viewers-and voters-a chance to see these two individuals in a fresh light before the campaign reaches its climax on Election Day.
In 1968, the federal drug enforcement budget was $60 million. By the end of fiscal year 1999, that same budget had exploded to more than $17 billion. Yet despite the United States' vast efforts during the past three decades to stop the flow of illegal drugs, the use of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs remains essentially unchanged. FRONTLINE presents the first television history of America's war on drugs as told from both sides of the battlefield in a special four-hour report. Part I recounts the origins of the anti-drug campaign, from the Nixon administration's drug control efforts to the rapid rise and fall of the Colombian drug cartels.
In 1968, the federal drug enforcement budget was $60 million. By the end of fiscal year 1999, that same budget had exploded to more than $17 billion. Yet despite the United States' vast efforts during the past three decades to stop the flow of illegal drugs, the use of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs remains essentially unchanged. FRONTLINE presents the first television history of America's war on drugs as told from both sides of the battlefield in a special four-hour report. In Part II of "Drug Wars," FRONTLINE examines the impact of crack cocaine on our city streets and our criminal justice system. The report also investigates Mexico's role in supplying drugs to meet American demand.
The U.S. Army is experiencing an identity crisis brought on by the end of the Cold War. As it heads into the 21st century, the nations largest military service is struggling to keep pace with changing technology, changing enemies and increasingly global missions. FRONTLINE examines the army's internal debate between those promoting change and those resisting it, and how today's decisions may impact the outcome of wars fought decades from now.
Homicides, drug arrests, car theft, assault and battery...it's all in a day's work for the prosecutors of Boston's criminal courts, where 50,000 cases are decided each year. In a two-part special report, FRONTLINE goes inside the halls of the Suffolk County courts to reveal the offers, counteroffers, deals, and compromises that keep cases moving through our crowded courts. Part I of the documentary takes viewers inside District Court, where overworked and underfunded prosecutors and public defenders shuttle between different cases and different courts in a seemingly endless attempt to keep the wheels of justice turning.
Homicides, drug arrests, car theft, assault and battery...it's all in a day's work for the prosecutors of Boston's criminal courts, where 50,000 cases are decided each year. In a two-part special report, FRONTLINE goes inside the halls of the Suffolk County courts to reveal the offers, counteroffers, deals, and compromises that keep cases moving through our crowded courts. Part II of this special report moves from District Court to Suffolk County Superior Court, where the crimes are serious and the stakes are high. From manslaughter to child abuse to murder, FRONTLINE's cameras follow the prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, and defendants as they bargain and negotiate their way through the criminal justice system.
He was a masterful campaigner - a skilled politician whose command of the issues and ability to connect with an audience impressed seasoned politicos and voters alike. Yet a rocky transition and a succession of scandals and mistakes - both personal and political - very nearly derailed the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton. As a new president takes the helm of the ship of state, FRONTLINE and ABC's Nightline join forces to present "The Clinton Years." A weeklong series of special Nightline reports culminates in this two-hour FRONTLINE documentary that follows Bill Clinton from the governor's mansion in Little Rock through a hard-fought campaign and his eight years in the White House. Through interviews with George Stephanopolous, Dee Dee Myers, Madeleine Albright, and other key administration officials, this seminal documentary hosted by Nightline's Ted Koppel offers the first inside look at the Clinton presidency.
Should teenagers who commit serious crimes be tried as juveniles or adults? What happens to young offenders who reach the 'end of the line' in the juvenile court system - and how do you rehabilitate these young people to prevent future criminal behavior? FRONTLINE explores these questions as it follows four juvenile offenders - one white, two Hispanic, and one African American - through the Santa Clara, California, juvenile courts, observing how the criminal justice system treats their cases and determines their fates.
On November 25, 1999, a five-year-old Cuban boy was plucked from the shark infested waters off Florida, and what began as a Thanksgiving story soon erupted into a political and social firestorm that transfixed the nation and rocked Miami's Cuban-American community to its core. FRONTLINE examines the passion and the purpose behind the battle over Elin Gonzalez and its effect on both the Miami community and the Cuban-American cause. With footage from Miami and Cuba, and interviews with participants and observers on both sides of the controversy, the documentary explores how one little boy became a symbol of a forty-year struggle for the future of a nation.
Designed to facilitate the free exchange of ideas, the Internet has become home to confidential-even classified-information from virtually every nation in the world. Financial information, national infrastructure, even state secrets can be accessed via the complex computer network that is the World Wide Web. But how safe is that information if computer-literate teenagers can break into top-security computer systems, infect them with viruses, or steal sensitive-even dangerous-documents? FRONTLINE investigates the role of hackers and reveals how their exploits highlight the profound insecurities of the Internet and the software that drives it. Through interviews with teenagers, information warriors, security experts, and law enforcement officials, FRONTLINE illuminates a virtual world where many of our most sacred beliefs-including the very notion of bordered nations-are called into question.
FRONTLINE journeys into the world of the marketers of popular culture to teenagers. They spend their days sifting through reams of market research data. They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets, the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the "next big thing" that will snare the attention of their prey - a market segment worth an estimated $300 billion a year. They are the merchants of cool: the creators and sellers of popular culture, who have made teens the hottest consumer demographic in America. But are these marketers merely reflecting a growing coarseness in teen culture, or have they helped create it? Are they simply reflecting teen desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their attempts to reach the hearts - and wallets - of America's youth?
Imagine a world where every patient who needed an organ transplant could receive one right away. Such a future is promised by xenotransplantation, the experimental process of transplanting genetically modified pig cells and organs into humans. But while a scientific breakthrough in cross-species transplants could offer hope to millions of desperately ill patients, such procedures could introduce new infectious agents into the human population, posing a public health risk to millions. Do the benefits of xenotransplantation outweigh the still-unknown dangers? FRONTLINE presents a rare inside look at the multi-billion dollar xenotransplantation industry, including a secret transgenic pig organ farm somewhere in North America. FRONTLINE presents extraordinary cutting-edge footage of the organs being developed and an unprecedented glimpse into a bio-secure, air-locked barrier world where science fiction may soon become science fact.
Today, millions of American children are being prescribed powerful behavior modifying drugs such as Ritalin, Prozac, Adderall. But are these medications really necessary-and safe-for young children or merely a harried nation's quick fix for annoying, yet age-appropriate, behavior? FRONTLINE investigates the rapidly growing use of psychoactive drugs by children and the challenges of parenting and schooling in a world of high stress and increasing family disintegration. Through an intimate portrait of several families in an American suburb, the film explores how medication has increasingly become an integral part of caring for our kids. The documentary also examines the role of doctors, educators, pharmaceutical makers, and insurance companies in advancing this trend.
A gene from a jellyfish is placed in a potato plant, making it light up whenever it needs watering. Rice plants are genetically transformed to produce vitamin A, preventing millions of African children from going blind. Plants are modified to produce plastic or pharmaceuticals. These are just a few of the touted benefits of genetically modified agriculture - the use of genetic engineering to alter crops for the benefit of mankind. But while proponents say this new technology has the potential to end world hunger and dramatically improve the quality of life of billions of people, others argue it constitutes the biggest threat to humanity since nuclear energy. Dubbing such genetically altered products "Frankenfoods," critics argue that the technology has been rushed to market. Scientists, they claim, are tampering with nature, risking potentially catastrophic and irreversible ecological disaster. The controversy has led Europe to ban the planting of genetically modified crops and to demand that all existing "GM" products be labeled. Will America follow suit? This FRONTLINE/NOVA special report examines the growing controversy over genetically modified foods.
All is not well inside the Los Angeles Police Department. The worst corruption scandal in the force's history has devastated a police department once epitomized by Dragnet's Joe Friday and the clean-cut crew of Adam-12. FRONTLINE correspondent and New Yorker writer Peter J. Boyer unravels the mysteries that swirl around recent reports of police brutality, departmental racism, and corrupt cops who take part in everything from dope deals to bank robberies.
Power shortages. Rolling blackouts. Skyrocketing utility bills. California's power disaster has made "energy" a national front-burner issue. The state's power crunch has affected everyone from homeowners and small businesses to the big-business consumers of electricity who originally pushed for deregulation. Now, the state's largest utility, PG& E, has filed for bankruptcy. But is California's energy crisis the result of flawed deregulation and the weather-or, as some charge, market manipulation by a new breed of power entrepreneurs? Or a bit of both? And could other states face similar energy shortages?
The United States has determined that Osama bin Laden is the orchestrator of the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden, and finally, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center which killed over 3000 people. In FRONTLINE's "Hunting bin Laden," a Pulitzer Prize-nominated team of New York Times reporters and FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates the man who has declared holy war on the U.S. -- a wealthy Saudi Arabian exile believed to be hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan with a $5 million bounty on his head.
Last month, the nation's top leaders gathered to decide the U.S response to the September 11 terrorist attack. Some of the same individuals were in Washington, DC, twenty-two years ago when the United States suffered its first humiliation at the hands of Islamic militants. U.S. embassy employees were taken hostage and held captive before the world. Over the decades, incident followed incident - the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, the killing of American soldiers in a Berlin nightclub, the downing of Pan Am 103, and the first attack on the World Trade Center. In "Target America," FRONTLINE uncovers a long-standing division within the nation's security apparatus about how to deal with an enemy that has been targeting America and Americans for decades.
The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was not only the most devastating terrorist attack in history, it was also the biggest failure of U.S. intelligence since Pearl Harbor. FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman and The New York Times investigate why the CIA and FBI failed to uncover the hijackers dramatic plot to strike at the heart of the U.S. government and its economy. The film also examines the U.S. failure to understand fully the hatred for America among Muslim fundamentalists, and its roots in the U.S. government's support for Israel and for authoritarian regimes in the oil-rich Middle East. A FRONTLINE co-production with The New York Times, this special episode is anchored by Bill Moyers.
Since the terrible events of Sept 11th, the United States has worked hard to put together a worldwide coalition against international terrorism. Where will China come down? FRONTLINE and The New York Times explore the tensions between the U.S. and China and the troubles the relationship presents for President Bush, who plans a visit to China in October. The dramatic U.S. spy plane incident off the coast of China in early 2001 reminded us of the dangerous suspicion that exists between the world's most powerful country and its most populous one. China has been supportive of some Islamic states that the U.S. counts as its enemies, and there is also the simmering question of Taiwan. American support for Taiwan means that if it declares independence, the U.S. could be drawn into an international dispute that might lead to war. The Straits of Taiwan have been described by one China expert as "one of the most dangerous places in the world."
On December 14, 1999, Ahmed Ressam was detained at the U.S./Canadian border when an alert customs agent became suspicious of Ressam's hesitant answers to her questions. When the trunk of his car was opened, agents discovered a powerful bomb and a plot for a millennium attack on America. Ressam said nothing at his trial but, facing 130 years in prison, decided to testify against an accomplice. His chilling testimony reveals his motives, his methods, and his connection to an Algerian terrorist group that had already carried out bombings in Europe. Ressam described his training at the Osama bin Laden camps in Afghanistan, where he became skilled in urban warfare, sabotage, and covert operations. With access to Ressams testimony, police files, and officials in the U.S., Canada, and France, correspondent Terence McKenna follows the trail of a terrorist.
As Americans are confronted by acts of bioterrorism, powerful forces in the nations capitol believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is to blame, for this and many other terrorist acts during the last decade. Many are lobbying to mobilize a military operation to oust Hussein when the next phase of the war on terrorism kicks in. Proponents of the plan, including former Clinton administration CIA director James Woolsey, contend Saddam Hussein was involved in the first World Trade Center bombing, the attempted assassination of President George H.W. Bush in 1993, and the ongoing state sponsorship of terrorist activities. Foes of this plan argue that attacking Saddam will destabilize other nations in the region, most prominently Saudi Arabia, and no doubt destroy the carefully crafted coalition presently hunting for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. FRONTLINE investigates Americas other enemy, Saddam Hussein.
President Bush says that if the nations of the world are not with us in the war on terrorism then theyre with the terrorists. But what about the United States' supposed ally Saudi Arabia? After September 11th many Saudi citizens reportedly applauded native son Osama bin Laden as a hero. Then the monarchy hesitated to renounce the Taliban and they are still reluctant to allow U.S. warplanes to fly from their bases. Why have Saudi and other Gulf charities sent money to support Islamic fundamentalist schools that are encouraging jihad? And are the Saudis dragging their feet when it comes to assisting U.S. law enforcement agencies that are tracking down terrorists? Whose side are the Saudis on? FRONTLINE and The New York Times explore the fragile alliance with this ultra conservative fundamentalist kingdom upon which the U.S. depends for fifteen percent of the countrys oil needs.
The box office is booming. New international markets are opening weekly. Amazing advances in technology hold the promise of new delivery systems. Yet there's trouble bubbling just below the surface in Hollywood today as movie industry creative types struggle to adapt to new business realities. On the eve of one of the biggest weekends for new movie releases, FRONTLINE explores the changing Hollywood, revealing how once-fiercely independent studio bosses must now answer to the megacorporations that have swallowed the industry whole.
It was a robbery gone wrong, and when it was over, a woman had been shot in the head. Fingerprint evidence identified one of the suspects who quickly named two accomplices: a friend and the friend's cousin, a man he knew only as "Terrance." And that's where the problem with this ordinary crime begins. Police apprehended sixteen-year-old Terence Garner and charged him with the crime. Garner insisted he was innocent. The codefendants said they had never met him. Another man with the name "Terrance" surfaced and confessed to the crime, then recanted and was let go. FRONTLINE investigates a bizarre case of injustice where two men with the same name are implicated in the same crime and one-Terence Garner-is sentenced to thirty two to forty three years in prison.
The hijackers of September 11 led such outwardly ordinary lives that they moved through Europe and America virtually unnoticed. They plotted in broad daylight, weaving a web of terror from the simple routines of modern life. American flight schools taught them to fly, local banks helped them move money, libraries provided computers, and the Department of Motor Vehicles supplied essential IDs. Everywhere they went they blended in unnoticed and unsuspected. FRONTLINE traces the hijackers' movements across four continents, following clues they left behind to unearth the stories of the individuals inside Osama bin Laden's terror network.
For a few heady years, it seemed that just about anyone -- from institutional investors to the average person following CNBC -- could make quick and easy money by putting their cash into the dreams of the Internet. What spurred the incredible dot-com bull run on Wall Street? Was the public blinded by dreams of small fortunes and easy living or did the nation's investment banks manipulate the IPO market and exploit public trust? In "Dot Con," FRONTLINE investigates the financial forces behind the unprecedented rise and seemingly overnight fall of the Internet economy.
It's the mystery of mysteries-especially to parents. Now experts are exploring the recesses of the brain and finding new explanations for why adolescents behave the way they do. FRONTLINE explores how the new discoveries can change the way we parent, teach, or perhaps even understand, our teenagers.
It's one of the hottest industries in America -- and with adult movies, magazines, retail stores, and the growth of the Internet -- business is booming. The Bush administration has pledged a new attack on the porn industry and for the first time in years, there's a renewed interest in mounting prosecutions. On Thursday, February 7, as the first jury trial for obscenity since 1993 is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles, FRONTLINE investigates "American Porn" and the pending political battle that will soon engulf the multibillion dollar business and its distribution partners -- some of America's best known corporations.
From industrial hauler to America's new station wagon, the SUV has been a spectacular success story, both satisfying and reflecting the tastes of the American consumer. Was the rise of the SUV enabled, even encouraged, by Washington regulators with close ties to the industry? And did they overlook serious safety and environmental flaws in the vehicle that continue to haunt it? FRONTLINE presents an in-depth report of the vehicle that turned Detroit's fortunes around and asks what consumers really know about their SUVs and those charged with making them safe.
President Bush's proposal for mandatory public school testing in grades three through eight signals the beginning of a new era in public education, one marked by increased federal involvement in schools and an unprecedented expansion in the role of tests. A business school graduate and self-styled "CEO President," Bush envisions a business model where educators set objectives, measure performance, and hold students and teachers accountable for results. But will the business model work in education? FRONTLINE correspondent John Merrow examines how the quest for higher scores is changing teaching and learning in America.
As Israelis and Palestinians prepare for possible all-out war, FRONTLINE investigates how the combatants pursue the deadly conflict on the ground. How did a war that was once fought with stones evolve into a battle involving suicide bombings and targeted killings? Through exclusive access to Israeli commando units and Palestinian militants, FRONTLINE reveals the tactics and strategies behind the fighting and reports on the latest cycle of violence to unfold in the Holy Land.
In December 2000, after spending fourteen years on Floridaís Death Row, Frank Lee Smith was finally cleared of the rape and murder of eight-year-old Shandra Whitehead. Like nearly 100 prisoners before him, Smithís belated exoneration came as a result of sophisticated DNA testing that was unavailable when he was first convicted. But for Frank Lee Smith, the good news came too late: Ten months before he was proven innocent, Smith died of cancer in his jail cell, just steps away from Floridaís electric chair. How did Frank Lee Smith end up on Death Row for a crime he didnít commit? And why was he allowed to die there despite possible evidence of his innocence?
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that a single fast-food hamburger contained beef from more than 100 cows. In the last few decades, American meat production has become a highly mechanized and centralized industry, bringing about significant changes not only in the way meat is produced but also in the way Americans eat. These changes have forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to institute a new meat inspection process, which gives far greater control to the powerful meat industry. This spring, FRONTLINE investigates the modern meat industry and the safety of our current meat supply.
In 1984, Cuban immigrant Frank Fuster was living the American dream. He had a new house in the suburbs, a successful landscaping business, and a new wife who was helping him raise his five-year-old son. Then, Fuster's world fell apart, as he and his wife found themselves charged with sexually abusing numerous children at their Miami day care service. His case was groundbreaking because it helped create the methods by which prosecutors would pursue alleged molesters in other well-known cases around the country. The prosecutor in the case, Janet Reno, became famous and would later serve as the nation's Attorney General. In the l980s, hysteria was in the air and the Fuster case had the usual media frenzy that branded him a monster. Then, when Fuster's wife and son testified against him, he was easily convicted and sentenced to 165 years in prison. Case closed. But was Fuster really guilty of those horrific acts? Now, nearly 20 years later, a FRONTLINE investigation finds new evidence that calls into question the ironclad case against Frank Fuster.
FRONTLINE investigates the terror threat from Iran and the challenges facing U.S. policymakers. President Bush has declared Iran part of an 'axis of evil.' But will U.S. actions against Iran help or hinder Iranian moderates' struggle to reform the hard-line government of Iran?
The events of Sept. 11 left many Americans questioning how such atrocities could be perpetrated in the name of religion: specifically, the religion of Islam. Few Americans know much about Islam, yet it continues to be the fastest growing religion in the US today. What is Islam? What do Muslims believe in? And how does their faith shape their lives, identities and their political ideologies? FRONTLINE explores these and other questions in "Muslims," a special two-hour report that examines the fundamental tenets of Islam and the causes behind its current worldwide resurgence.Through interviews with dozens of ordinary Muslims from such diverse countries as Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, and the U.S., FRONTLINE illuminates the perspectives, conflicts, and tensions that are shaping today's Muslim world.
On April 2, as Israeli tanks rolled into Bethlehem, some 200 Palestinians - many of them armed - stormed into the fabled Church of the Nativity. They remained there for 39 days, as the standoff between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants at one of the world's most revered holy sites kept the world transfixed. In "The Seige of Bethlehem," FRONTLINE takes viewers inside the siege at the Church of the Nativity. With unprecedented inside access to key figures on both sides of the standoff, FRONTLINE reveals the secret negotiations, strategies, gambits, and maneuvers employed throughout the siege, as the combatants sought to maintain the delicate balance between diplomatic persuasion and military might.
The meteoric rise and stunning collapse of Enron caused many to question why the watchdog system that was supposed to protect investors failed to sound any alarms about the company's dubious financial underpinnings. But Enron and its auditor, Arthur Andersen, are the tip of the iceberg. In the late 1990s, Enron was just one of the more than 400 corporations forced to dramatically restate their value because of accounting lapses, failures, or fraud. What went wrong? Through interviews with SEC officials, corporate executives, members of Congress, and investor advocates, FRONTLINE examines an oversight system gone soft and explores how market deregulation and conflicts of interest between accountants and the companies they were auditing eroded the system of controls designed to protect stockholders from investment fraud.
In the Summer of 2000, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were on the brink of reaching a peace agreement. After years of negotiation, both sides seemed ready to move forwardónever before had the dream of peace seemed so close. Within weeks, however, the window of opportunity had closed and the peace process had collapsed. What went wrong? As the Middle East continues to erupt in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, FRONTLINE examines the faltering, frustrating quest for peace. Beginning with the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, this two-hour documentary traces the ongoing peace process through years of negotiations and up through the chaotic events now unfolding. With never-before-seen footage of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and interviews with key figures on both sides of the bargaining table, "Shattered Dreams" gives viewers unprecedented access to the decision making process on which the fate of millions depends.
Ground Zero in Manhattan has become a site of pilgrimage. Thousands of people visit the site, looking for consolation as they question the events of September 11. There is a profound quiet to their meditations. Starting here, FRONTLINE sets out on a quest to find out how peoples' beliefs-and unbelief-has been challenged, and how they are coping with difficult questions of good and evil, the face of God, and the potential for darkness within religion itself. From survivors who were pulled from the wreckage of the Twin Towers to the widow of a New York City firefighter; from priests and rabbis to security guards and opera divas; from lapsed Catholics and Jews to Buddhists, Muslims, and atheists.... FRONTLINE explores and illuminates the myriad of spiritual questions that have come out of the terror, pain, and destruction at Ground Zero.
In this two-hour special, FRONTLINE recounts for the first time on television the behind-the-scenes story of the U.S. and world response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. Featuring interviews with key U.S. players and world leaders, "Campaign Against Terror" examines the complex diplomatic maneuvering that led to an international coalition against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. From the initial bombing raids to the futile hunt for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda leaders in the caves of Tora Bora, the documentary traces the dramatic ups and downs of the ground war in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of Pentagon leaders, U.S. Special Forces troops and Afghan rebel leaders in the Northern Alliance. Finally, " Campaign Against Terror " tracks the intricate political wrangling that led to the selection of Hamid Karzai - America's preferred candidate - as the new Afghan leader.
As an FBI agent who specialized in counter-terrorism, John P. O'Neill investigated the bombing of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole in Yemen, the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, and the first attack on the World Trade Center. O'Neill came to believe America should kill Osama bin Laden before Al Qaeda launched a devastating attack, but his was often a lonely voice. A controversial figure, O'Neill's hot pursuit of terrorists and his James Bond style led to nicknames like "Elvis," "The Count," and "the Prince of Darkness" inside the buttoned-down world of the FBI. In the end, he was forced out of the job he loved and entered the private sector - as director of security for the World Trade Center. He died there on September 11. His story is the stuff of Hollywood - yet it's true. O'Neill's relentless obsession with Al Qaeda, and his efforts to get the government to pay attention to the growing threat posed by Osama bin Laden inform the question on every American's mind after September 11: What did the government know?
Following America's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, FRONTLINE examines the reason why: the Bush administration's determination to deploy an antimissile system. Supporters say national missile defense is essential to protecting America from a missile attack by rogue states. Critics argue that terrorist attacks like September 11 are a far greater threat than that posed by ballistic missiles. In "Missile Wars," FRONTLINE examines both sides of the missile defense debate. Through interviews with staunch proponents, skeptical scientists, and military and intelligence experts, the one-hour documentary investigates this multi-billion dollar--yet still unproven--weapons system, and explores how national missile defense fits into the nation's military strategy after 9/11.
In December 1994, Ralph Tortorici, a twenty-six-year-old psychology student at the State University of New York, walked into a classroom, pulled out a hunting knife and a high-powered rifle, and announced that he was taking the class hostage. During a three-hour standoff with police negotiators, Tortorici--a paranoid schizophrenic who believed the government had implanted tracking devices in his body--demanded to speak to the president, the governor, and the Supreme Court. Shots were fired, leaving one student seriously wounded and Tortorici charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder. That Ralph Tortorici was mentally ill was apparent to everyone. What was not so clear was how the courts should deal with his case. In "A Crime of Insanity," FRONTLINE examines the controversial case of Ralph Tortorici. Through interviews with Tortorici's family and the defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge charged with trying his case, the one-hour documentary explores the personal, political, and societal fallout that occurs when the legal and psychiatric worlds collide.
Marriage is in trouble. The past half-century has witnessed staggering changes in the makeup of the American family as the number of single-parent households and children born out of wedlock has skyrocketed. The traditional American family structure is crumbling, and no one's sure why. Now everyone from the government to church leaders to intellectuals--on both the right and the left--are pushing marriage, especially among the poor. But can such efforts turn the social tide and make marriage once again the norm? Should the government have a role in such an intimate, private institution? And for those along the margins, why doesn't marriage seem to matter any more? FRONTLINE correspondent and author Alex Kotlowitz explores the biggest demographic mystery of the last half-century and examines the modern marriage movement.
Within three months of September 11, the War on Terror had succeeded in crushing the Taliban. But many of the operation's primary targets--members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network of international terrorists--managed to escape into neighboring Pakistan. FRONTLINE examines the quest to bring the terrorist group to justice in "In Search of Al Qaeda." The one-hour documentary follows the trail of Al Qaeda from the Afghan border areas into Pakistan's cities as U.S. and Pakistani authorities begin to track down some of the network's leaders. The journey continues to other Middle Eastern countries, where local villagers, officials, and others are interviewed about what has happened to Al Qaeda and its efforts to regroup.
His name is synonymous with great literature. Author of timeless masterpieces like "Romeo and Juliet," "Othello," and "Hamlet," William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the greatest writer who ever lived--or was he? FRONTLINE producer Michael Rubbo explores anew the centuries-old controversy over whether the literary masterpieces long attributed to Shakespeare were actually written by his contemporary, Christopher Marlowe. Born in the same year as Shakespeare, Marlowe was at the height of his literary career in 1593 when he was supposedly killed in an argument over a tavern bill. Marlowe's death, however, has been clouded in mystery, with some "Marlovians" insisting the playwright lived to write another day--but under the name of Shakespeare. FRONTLINE takes viewers inside this 16th century detective story in an attempt to unravel what some are calling the "biggest cover-up in literary history."
Each year, six thousand Americans lose their lives on the job. Tens of thousands more are seriously injured or exposed to deadly poisons and carcinogens in the workplace. Yet if one of those workers dies on the job due to a company's willful disregard for federal safety regulations, the maximum penalty his employer faces is just six months in prison. Are America's workplace safety laws tough enough? And are companies being held responsible for protecting the safety of their employees? FRONTLINE investigates workplace safety in one of America's most dangerous industries.
In January 2001, five-year-old Logan Marr was found dead in the basement of her foster mother's home in Chelsea, Maine. The foster mother, Sally Schofield, was a highly respected former caseworker for Maine's Department of Human Services. FRONTLINE examines the girl's short, troubled life and asks a series of tough questions: Why was a little girl who had never been abused taken from her birth mother? Was her mother given a real opportunity to regain custody? And did the state miss significant clues that she was in danger? Through extensive interviews with key figures involved in the case - including exclusive access to Schofield herself - FRONTLINE rewinds the story to look closely at the events that led up to Logan's death: from the state's decision to remove her from her birth mother's home to her troubled decline and eventual death in foster care. FRONTLINE continues its examination of Maine's Department of Human Services on February 6 with the one-hour documentary "Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files" followed by a one-hour town meeting on child welfare policy.
The removal of a child from an abusive or neglectful parent is one of the most drastic actions a government undertakes; and yet it does so with little or no public scrutiny. In 2001, the state of Maine gave FRONTLINE unprecedented access to observe the daily lives of its child protection caseworkers, with whom the decision to remove children begins. In a companion presentation to Failure to Protect: The Taking of Logan Marr, FRONTLINE cameras follow a small set of caseworkers in one office as they interact with families and each other, dealing with the excruciating dilemmas and heartbreaking choices that confront them every day. Failure to Protect: The Caseworker Files is both moving and probing, asking such questions as when should a child be removed? How much damage do we do to children in the name of helping them? And when should parents lose the right to raise their own child? Following the documentary, FRONTLINE will air a one-hour town meeting on child welfare policy.
Four years in the making, this two-hour FRONTLINE documentary chronicles three pivotal years in China's historic evolution from a rigid Communist society to an exploding market economy. For more than half a century, millions of Chinese workers labored in state-run factories that provided cradle-to-grave job security. But the economic reforms that have brought the world's most populous nation economic prosperity and world-power status now threaten the livelihood of many Chinese workers. The Chinese Communist Party can no longer afford to subsidize the factories, and millions of workers are being laid off, with no social safety net to catch them. "China in the Red" follows ten Chinese citizens caught up in the social and economic transformation, and through their stories reveals a nation in flux and a people struggling to survive in a world they never dreamed would exist.
FRONTLINE examines the hidden story of what is really driving the Bush administration to war with Iraq. The investigation asks whether the publicly reported reasons--fear of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction or a desire to insure and protect America's access to oil--are only masking the real reason for the war. Through interviews with well-placed sources in and outside of the administration, FRONTLINE unravels a story known only to the Washington insiders.
America appears to be within days of attacking Iraq. Many observers believe President Bush may soon signal to weapons inspectors, diplomats and members of the press that Iraq will come under fire and they should leave the country. Once again, the U.S finds itself about to battle Iraq, although this time it will likely not be part of a grand coalition. How did the nation come to the brink of war of another war with Saddam Hussein? In a two-hour special "The Long Road to War," FRONTLINE draws on its extensive archives of more than 12 years of reporting on Iraq to tell the history of the U.S. confrontation with Saddam. The special will examine how the West armed Iraq, the mind and methods of Saddam Hussein, the origins of the first Gulf War and its ragged end, the frustrating effort to disarm Iraq through U.N. inspections, how Saddam survived efforts to undermine his power, and the long-standing effort by Washington hawks to remove him.
For the past few months, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been fighting the biggest political battle of his career. Caught in the center of a high stakes political storm, he tried to personally bridge the gap between the United States and its European allies -- particularly France and Germany -- over the impending war in Iraq. FRONTLINE examines the roots of the discord within the Western alliance, the perilous role Blair has played, and the stakes for him and the West should this old alliance fall apart.
The world is running out of time to strike a peace-preserving deal with North Korea's strange and reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. For ten years threats deceptions and diplomatic ploys have shaped U.S. relations with the Hermit Kingdom. Now what happens next depends on the outcome of a raging debate within the Bush administration over how best to handle Chairman Kim. FRONTLINE traces the delicate maneuvers and clumsy turns that have brought the world to the brink of a nuclear showdown in Asia.
The Slammer hit on Super Bowl Sunday. Nimda struck one week after 9/11. Code Red had ripped through the system that summer. Moonlight Maze moved from the Russian Academy of Science and into the U.S. Department of Defense. A new form of warfare has broken out and the battleground is cyberspace. With weapons like embedded malicious code, probes and pings, there are surgical strikes, reverse neutron bombs, and the potential for massive assaults aimed directly at America's infrastructure -- the power grid, the water supply, the complex air traffic control system, and the nation's railroads. FRONTLINE investigates the threat of cyber war and reveals what the White House knows that the rest of us don't.
In recent years, media headlines have trumpeted the release of more than 100 longtime inmates who have been exonerated by DNA testing. But what happens to these wrongly accused inmates after the media spotlight turns elsewhere and they must attempt to rejoin a world far different from the one they left behind? In a new one-hour documentary, FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel examines the many social, psychological, and economic challenges facing exonerated inmates, the vast majority of whom must re-enter society with no financial or transitional assistance whatsoever. The film highlights the cases of several recently exonerated inmates and the hurdles they face as they attempt to repair the damaged inflicted upon their lives. It also examines efforts to pass laws that would allow the wrongfully convicted to sue the government for compensation.
With the nation's biggest banks about to finalize a record $1.4 billion settlement for securities violations, FRONTLINE investigates what New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer calls Wall Street's "corrupt business model" that cost American investors trillions. Tracing the stunning rise and fall of WorldCom, the hottest stock and then biggest bankruptcy of the 1990s, correspondent Hedrick Smith uncovers the hidden ties that enabled superbanks and Wall Street insiders to shape and profit from the telecom boom while leaving ordinary investors holding worthless stock when the bubble burst.
As Congress seems closer than ever to passing a new Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors, FRONTLINE investigates the conflict between major pharmaceutical companies and American consumers who now pay the highest drug prices in the world. Through interviews with legislators, scientists, consumers, and industry leaders, FRONTLINE examines how states like Maine and Oregon have moved to control escalating prescription drug costs in the face of strong opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, which argues reducing drug prices will ultimately reduce the number of new innovative drugs they will develop.
Ten years after "edupreneur" Chris Whittle first announced his bold plan to revolutionize the way we educate children, Whittle's Edison Schools continue to be a lightening rod for the issue of for-profit, public education. FRONTLINE and the PBS education series The Merrow Report join forces with The New York Times to investigate the intertwined fortunes of Edison Schools and its charismatic yet controversial leader, and examine whether it's possible to create world-class schools that turn a profit.
FRONTLINE traces the roots of the Iraqi war back to the days immediately following September 11, when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered the creation of a special intelligence operation to quietly begin looking for evidence that would justify the war. The intelligence reports soon became a part of a continuing struggle between civilians in the Pentagon on one side and the CIA, State Department, and uniformed military on the other - a struggle that would lead to inadequate planning for the aftermath of the war, continuing violence, and mounting political problems for the president.
What is the real story behind the group that U.S. intelligence called "the most dangerous terrorist cell in America?" FRONTLINE and The New York Times join forces to investigate the battle against terrorism here at home in "Chasing the Sleeper Cell." The one-hour documentary is the first in-depth examination of a major, ongoing domestic terrorism case involving Al Qaeda operatives and American citizens they trained. Questions are also raised about the effectiveness of the FBI and the CIA and whether or not the new tools they have are the right ones to contain the threat at home.
The past few years has seen an explosion in the popularity--and profitability--of complementary and alternative medicine. Under pressure from everyone from consumers to Congress--and tempted by huge grants--major hospitals and medical schools have embraced therapies that they once dismissed as quackery. So accepted, in fact, have alternative medical treatments become that an entire center of the National Institutes of Health is now devoted to it. But the question remains: Do these treatments actually work? FRONTLINE examines the controversy over complementary and alternative medical treatments.
As medications play an ever-increasing role in modern health care, the importance of FDA approval to consumers, it would seem, has never been greater. For many consumers, the phrase "FDA approved" signifies that a drug or product is completely safe and without risk. But just how much does the average American know about the FDA approval process and what it can -- and cannot -- do? How good is the FDA's system for identifying drugs that don't work or cause harm? And what happens when a harmful product makes its way into consumers' hands? FRONTLINE investigates the FDA and drug safety, and questions whether the current system is adequate for protecting the public.
Her code name was "Parlor Maid." She was a spy whose information about China found its way to four American presidents. For 20 years Katrina Leung's handler was a freewheeling FBI agent named J.J. Smith. But "Parlor Maid" and J.J. were more than agent and asset: they were lovers. Last April, the government claimed "Parlor Maid" was a double agent--spying for China with the help of her lover J.J.--and the two were arrested. FRONTLINE investigates a story of sex, secrets, risk, patriotism and power, and explores how U.S. intelligence about China has been seriously compromised.
With the credibility of President Bush and Prime Minister Blair at stake, BBC reporter Jane Corbin takes viewers inside the high-stakes search for Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Through exclusive access to top-secret locations and key U.S. officials leading the hunt, including David Kay, FRONTLINE reveals new details about what the search has uncovered and questions whether the investigation's final results will justify the White House's call for war.
As Washington continues to celebrate the capture of Saddam Hussein, FRONTLINE takes viewers on a journey across Iraq to reveal just what it will take to stabilize the volatile nation and accelerate the transfer of power to the Iraqi people. In "Beyond Baghdad," FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith travels the length and breadth of Iraq for five weeks, interviewing everyone from tribal sheiks and ayatollahs to politicians and U.S. military commanders. Smith's reporting reveals a seriously fractured Iraq, where modest successes in nation-building have been offset by widespread inter-ethnic and sectarian rivalry, frustration, and violence.
The tax shelter was one of corporate America's biggest hidden profit centers in recent years. Shelters have become so lucrative that some experts estimate as much as $50 billion is lost to the U.S. Treasury each year. And ordinary taxpayers wind up footing the bill. FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith provides an inside look at how big corporations and wealthy individuals cut their taxes with intricate, hidden, and abusive tax shelters and investigates the role of blue chip accounting firms in these secret deals.
FRONTLINE marks the first anniversary of the Iraqi War with a two-hour documentary investigation that recounts the key strategies, battles, and turning points of the war from both sides of the battlefield. Through firsthand accounts from many of the war's key participants--from strategists in Washington to the soldiers who actually fought the battles--"The Invasion of Iraq" promises to be a definitive television history of America's most recent war.
FRONTLINE marks the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide with a documentary chronicling one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. In addition to interviews with key government officials and diplomats, the two-hour documentary offers groundbreaking, eyewitness accounts of the genocide from those who experienced it firsthand: from Tutsi survivors who recount the horror of seeing their friends and family members slaughtered by neighbors and coworkers; to the UN peacekeepers stationed amid the carnage who were ordered not to intervene; to those holding positions of power at the White House. Through these accounts, FRONTLINE illustrates the social, political, and diplomatic failures that enabled the slaughter of 800,000 people to occur unabated and unchallenged by the global community.
Americans spend $40 billion a year on books, products, and programs designed to do one thing: help us lose weight. From Atkins to Ornish and Weight Watchers to the Zone, today's dieters have a dizzying array of weight loss programs from which to choose--yet the underlying principles of these diets are often contradictory. Is low fat better than low carb? Is Atkins the answer? And has the USDA Food Pyramid done more harm than good? In "Diet Wars," FRONTLINE examines the great diet debate.
Growing up in the 1990s, Abdurahman Khadr's playmates were the children of his father's longtime friend, Osama bin Laden. How Khadr was raised to be an Al Qaeda terrorist--and how he ultimately found himself working for the U.S.--is the focus of FRONTLINE's "Son of Al Qaeda." Through interviews with Khadr as well as his mother and siblings, the documentary recounts his incredible journey from terrorist upbringing to CIA informant, offering a revealing glimpse inside the mindset of an Al Qaeda family.
As an evangelical Christian, President Bush has something in common with the 46 percent of Americans who describe themselves as being "born again" or having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Often has the president recounted praying about major decisions facing the nation--but what do we actually know about the rudiments of George Bush's faith? To what extent do the president's spiritual beliefs impact or influence his political decision-making? And how closely do Bush's religious views mirror those of the country's burgeoning--and politically influential--evangelical movement?
The modern music scene was created in 1969, at Woodstock. Half a million fans, dozens of artists, and the politics of the times came together as a big bang moment that eventually would generate billions of dollars. But over the last twenty years, MTV, compact discs, corporate consolidation, Internet piracy, and greed have contributed to a perfect storm for the recording industry. FRONTLINE examines how the business that has provided the soundtrack of the lives of a generation is on the verge of collapse.
It is the centerpiece of America's judicial process: the trial by jury system that places a defendant's fate in the hands of a jury of one's peers. But just how many citizens are aware that nearly 95 percent of all criminal cases never reach a jury but instead are settled through plea bargains? To overworked and understaffed defense lawyers prosecutors and jurists plea bargains are the safety valve that keeps cases moving through our backlogged courts. Critics however contend that the push to resolve cases through plea bargains jeopardizes the constitutional rights of defendants who may be pressured to admit their guilt whether they're guilty or not. In this 90-minute documentary FRONTLINE explores the moral judicial and constitutional implications of relying on plea bargains to expedite justice.
Within days of the September 11 attacks, the questions began: What should be built on the site of Ground Zero? Who should build it? And should anything be built there at all? FRONTLINE tells the inside story of the first stormy year in the plans to rebuild on the site of the World Trade Center. With exclusive access to architect Daniel Libeskind, the one-hour documentary follows the process to build Libeskind's proposed Freedom Tower and reveals how the desire to build the world's most meaningful architectural tribute descended into a billion-dollar battle for the soul of Ground Zero.
As Americans prepare to choose their next president, FRONTLINE offers viewers a special, two-hour dual biography of the two candidates who hope to lead the nation for the next four years. The fifth installment in FRONTLINE's continuing election series pairs filmmaker Martin Smith and correspondent Nicholas Lemann, who go beyond sound bites and political rhetoric to explore how the candidates and their values have been shaped by family background, history, victory, and defeat. By eschewing political pundits in favor of insightful comments from friends, mentors, historians, and spiritual advisors, "The Choice 2004," airing Tuesday, October 12, at 9 P.M. on PBS (check local listings), offers viewers--and voters--a chance to see the candidates in a fresh light before the campaign reaches its climax on Election Day.
With the United States Army deployed in a dozen hot spots around the world, on constant alert in Afghanistan, and taking casualties every day in Iraq, some current and former officers now say the army is on the verge of being "broken." They charge that the army is overstretched, demoralized, and may be unable to fight where and when the nation desires. This fall, FRONTLINE and the Washington Post join forces for an in-depth assessment of the state of the American army and the nation's military establishment. The program digs into the aggressive attempts to assert civilian control and remake the military by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his allies.
FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their messages come from sources we trust, marketers are crafting messages that resonate with an increasingly cynical public. In this documentary essay, correspondent Douglas Rushkoff (correspondent for FRONTLINE's "The Merchants of Cool") also explores how the culture of marketing has come to shape the way Americans understand the world and themselves and how the techniques of the persuasion industries have migrated to politics, shaping the way our leaders formulate policy, influence public opinion, make decisions, and stay in power.
FRONTLINE offers two starkly contrasting images: one of empty storefronts in Circleville, Ohio, where the local TV manufacturing plant has closed down; the other--a sea of high rises in the South China boomtown of Shenzhen. The connection between American job losses and soaring Chinese exports? Wal-Mart. For Wal-Mart, China has become the cheapest, most reliable production platform in the world, the source of up to $25 billion in annual imports that help the company deliver everyday low prices to 100 million customers a week. But while some economists credit Wal-Mart's single-minded focus on low costs with helping contain U.S. inflation, others charge that the company is the main force driving the massive overseas shift to China in the production of American consumer goods, resulting in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and a lower standard of living here at home.
The average American family today carries eight credit cards. Credit card debt and personal bankruptcies are now at an all time high. With no legal limit on the amount of interest or fees that can be charged, credit cards have become the most profitable sector of the American banking industry: more than $30 billion in profits last year alone. FRONTLINE and The New York Times examine how the credit card industry became so pervasive, so lucrative, and so politically powerful.
Mosques burn and a filmmaker is murdered in a culture clash between Muslims and Christians in the Netherlands. A series of bombs tear apart four commuter trains in Madrid killing 191 people and wounding 1800. Al Qaeda terrorist cells are uncovered in the U.K. Germany Italy and Spain. FRONTLINE investigates the new front in the war on terror: Europe. Now home to 20 million Muslims - which some call "Eurabia" - the continent is a challenge to intelligence services on both sides of the Atlantic exacerbated by political divisions over the Iraq War.
The House of Saud has controlled every aspect of Saudi life and politics since the kingdom was established in 1932. But outside the Desert Kingdom little is known about Saudi Arabia's secretive royal family. In "House of Saud" FRONTLINE explores how the Al Saud family maintains its hold on power in the face of growing tensions between Islam and modernity. Through interviews with members of the royal family government officials and other experts from Saudi Arabia and the U.S. the two-hour documentary also traces America's relations with the Saudi royal family from their first alliance in the 1930s through September 11 and beyond to the present day.
FRONTLINE reports from inside the U.S. Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment stationed in Baghdad for an up-close intimate look at the dangers facing an American military unit in Iraq. Shot in the weeks following the U.S. presidential election the film tracks the day-to-day challenges facing the 8th Cavalry's Dog Company as it suddenly has to cope with a dramatic increase in attacks by the insurgents.
As the War in Iraq continues the first measures of its psychological toll are coming in. A medical study estimates that more than one in seven returning veterans are expected to suffer from major depression anxiety or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For those who have survived the fighting the battle is not over. For some the return home can be as painful as war itself. FRONTLINE tells the stories of soldiers who have come home haunted by their experiences and asks whether the government is doing enough to help.
As a new Palestinian leader signs a truce with the Israelis there is hope that after four years of bloody fighting Middle East peace talks might resume. This summer Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning to remove Jewish settlers and return the disputed Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. But Israel is bracing for a reaction from the settlers in both Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli security forces are warning that extremists among the settlers could with one major act of violence raise the prospect of civil war in Israel or trigger a conflict with the wider Muslim world. As the possibility of peace once again seems real FRONTLINE takes a close look at the small group of Israelis who are vowing to derail it.
President George W. Bush called him "the architect" of his reelection victory and he has been the president's chief strategist from the beginning. But Karl Rove is much more than a political guru, he is the single most powerful policy advisor in the White House. FRONTLINE and The Washington Post join forces to trace the political history and modus operandi of the man who has been on the inside of every political and policy decision of the Bush administration, including the current battles on Social Security, taxes, and tort reform. For Rove - observers say - enactment of the Bush agenda is a way to win the biggest prize of all: a permanent Republican majority.
Twenty-five years after the initial broadcast of perhaps the most controversial program in the history of public television FRONTLINE re-issues "Death of a Princess." The 1980 docudrama recounting the public execution of a young Saudi Arabian princess and her lover for adultery triggered vehement protests from the Saudi government and an international uproar when it was first broadcast in the U.S. and Britain. The film which re-creates journalist Antony Thomas's journey through the Arab world to investigate the executions is a portrait of the constricted lives of Arab women and a Rashomon-like exploration of the elusiveness of journalistic truth. This special presentation will feature new interviews with the filmmakers an inside view of the controversies surrounding the film and an analysis of how the lives of Arab women have and have not changed.
There are nearly half a million mentally ill people serving time in America's prisons and jails. As sheriffs and prison wardens become the unexpected and ill-equipped gatekeepers of this burgeoning population, they raise a troubling new concern: are jails and prisons America's new asylums? With exclusive and unprecedented access to prison therapy sessions, mental health treatment meetings, crisis wards, and prison disciplinary tribunals, FRONTLINE goes deep inside Ohio's state prison system to present a searing exploration of the complex and growing topic of mental health behind bars and a moving portrait of the individuals at the center of this issue.
As a young boy Marian Marzynski survived the Holocaust in Poland. But his father and most of his relatives did not. In "A Jew Among the Germans" Marzynski sets out on a personal quest to find out how Germans are going to design a memorial to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It will be unveiled this May on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. Over three years he encounters artists architects and planners who struggle with the big questions of guilt responsibility and memory. He struggles to reconcile his own relationship to the German people and meets a young "third generation" of Germans who declare their distance from their parents and grandparents and how earlier generations have dealt with the Holocaust.
FRONTLINE returns to Iraq, this time to embed with Halliburton/KBR, and to take a hard look at private contractors like Blackwater, Aegis and Erinys, who play an increasingly critical role in running U.S. military supply lines, providing armed protection, and operating U.S. military bases. These private warriors are targeted by insurgents and in turn have been criticized for their rough treatment of Iraqi civilians. Their dramatic story illuminates the Pentagon's new reliance on corporate outsourcing and raises tough questions about where they fit in the chain of command and the price we are paying for their role in the war.
On October 3, 1995, an estimated 150 million people stopped what they were doing to witness the televised verdict of the O.J. Simpson trial. For more than a year, the O.J. saga transfixed the nation and dominated the public imagination. Ten years later, veteran FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel (The Plea, Innocence Lost), revisits the "perfect storm" that was the O.J. Simpson trial. Through extensive interviews with the defense, prosecution, and journalists, FRONTLINE explores the dominant role that race played in the most controversial verdict in the history of the American justice system.
In the uncertain weeks following September 11, an internal power struggle was underway deep inside the Bush administration. Waged between partisans at the highest levels of the government, that battle -- captured in a series of blunt memos -- exemplifies the struggle to create a legal framework to give the president authority to aggressively interrogate enemy fighters in the war on terror. On October 18, FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors to investigate the struggle over how and when to use what was called "coercive interrogation." The film begins with a policy born out of fear and anger and tracks how increasingly tough measures were taken to gather information about Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and finally the rising insurgency in Iraq. In an examination that begins at the White House and ends in the public debate about alleged abuses at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib, policy makers, government interrogators, and their subjects talk to FRONTLINE about their experiences as part of this internal battle.
Today, the headlines are filled with speculation about changes in the U.S. Supreme Court and what those changes might mean for abortion -- an issue that has divided the country for over 30 years. Heated rhetoric from both sides continues to be heard in courtrooms and on the campaign trail. But while attention is often focused on the arguments, there is another story playing out in local communities. Pro-life advocates have waged a successful campaign to reduce abortions in many places throughout the country. By using state laws to regulate and limit abortion and by creating their own clinics to offer alternatives to women, they have changed the facts on the ground. On Nov. 8, FRONTLINE investigates the steady decline in the number of physicians and clinics performing abortions and focuses on local political battles in states like Mississippi, where only a single clinic performs the controversial procedure.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, FRONTLINE will produce a documentary special that investigates the political storm surrounding the devastation of America's Gulf Coast. Veteran FRONTLINE producer/reporter Martin Smith will lead a team to ask hard questions about the decisions leading up to the disaster and beyond.
Part 1 of 3. David Sutherland, acclaimed producer of The Farmer's Wife, returns to rural America with Country Boys, an epic tale of two boys coming of age in eastern Kentucky's Appalachian hills. In Part 1, Chris, who lives in a trailer with his working mom and terminally ill dad, tries to begin a school paper, while Cody, an orphan living with a step-grandmother, wants to start a Christian music group.
Part 2 of 3. David Sutherland, acclaimed producer of The Farmer's Wife, returns to rural America with Country Boys, an epic tale of two boys coming of age in eastern Kentucky's Appalachian hills. In Part 2. A friendship slowly develops after Chris returns to school and starts a choir, which Cody joins. Also, Chris's parents separate; Cody wonders about his his inheritance money; Chris gets a job at a fast-food restaurant and his schoolwork suffers; Cody's girlfriend's parents argue, as he and Jessica consider marriage in the future.
Part 3 of 3. David Sutherland, acclaimed producer of The Farmer's Wife, returns to rural America with Country Boys, an epic tale of two boys coming of age in eastern Kentucky's Appalachian hills. Conclusion: Chris tries to get a GED and visits a college, while Cody learns more about becoming a preacher and achieves a perfect attendance record at school; Chris moves into an apartment by himself; and Cody's band plays its first gig outside Kentucky.
In recent decades, more than 10,000 children reportedly were sexually abused by Catholic priests in the United States. From behind the headlines, filmmaker Joe Cultrera tells the very personal story of how the crisis affected his own family in Salem, Mass. It is the intimate story of how his brother, Paul, was molested in the 1960s by Father Joseph Birmingham, who also reportedly abused nearly 100 other children. Paul Cultrera would keep his secret for 30 years until he decided to finally confront the church and launched his own investigation into how the Archdiocese of Boston had covered up allegations against Father Birmingham and moved the priest from parish to parish, placing more and more children in danger. In a sometimes raw and emotional film, the Cultrera family tells their story of faith betrayed by the scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church.
An estimated half-million women are trafficked annually for the purpose of sexual slavery. The women are kidnapped -- or lured by traffickers who prey on their dreams of employment abroad -- then they are "exported" to Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere, where they are sold to pimps, drugged, terrorized, locked in brothels, and raped repeatedly. In Eastern Europe, since the fall of communism, sex trafficking has become the fastest growing form of organized crime, with Moldova and Ukraine widely seen as the centers of the global trade in women and girls. On Feb. 7, FRONTLINE presents a unique hidden camera look at this world of sexual slavery, talking with traffickers and their victims, and exposing the government indifference that allows the abuses to continue virtually unchecked. Sex Slaves also follows the remarkable journey of one man determined to find his trafficked wife by posing as a trafficker himself to buy back her freedom.
Speed. Meth. Glass. On the street, methamphetamine has many names. What started as a fad among motorcycle gangs in the 1970s has become big business, largely due to the efforts of two Mexican drug runners who began smuggling ephedrine -- the same chemical used to make over-the-counter cold remedies -- into California by the ton. Hundreds of illegal meth labs are now operating in the western United States, and the effects are sweeping the nation. From coast to coast, meth abuse is on the rise, but who's responsible? Is the government doing enough to crack down on this latest drug craze? On January 31, in a reporting partnership with The Oregonian, FRONTLINE investigates America's addiction to meth and exposes the inherent conflict between the illegal drug trade and the legitimate three-billion-dollar cold remedy business.
Kidnappings. Suicide bombers. Beheadings. Roadside bombs. The Iraqi insurgency continues to challenge the most highly trained and best-equipped military in the world. FRONTLINE peels back the layers and gets beyond the propaganda to take a complex look inside the multi-faceted insurgency in Iraq. The investigation includes special access to insurgent leaders, as well as commanders of Iraqi and U.S. military units battling for control of the country and detailed analysis from journalists who have risked their lives to meet insurgent leaders and their foot soldiers. On February 21, FRONTLINE explores the battle for one Iraqi town and presents vivid testimony from civilians whose families were targeted by the insurgents.
On June 5, 1989, one day after Chinese troops expelled thousands of demonstrators from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, a solitary, unarmed protester stood his ground before a column of tanks advancing down the Avenue of Eternal Peace. Captured by Western photographers watching nearby, this extraordinary confrontation became an icon of the fight for freedom around the world. On April 11, veteran filmmaker Antony Thomas investigates the mystery of the tank man -- his identity, his fate, and his significance for the Chinese leadership. The search for the tank man reveals China's startling social compact -- its embrace of capitalism while dissent is squashed -- designed to stifle the nationwide unrest of 1989. This policy has allowed educated elites and entrepreneurs to profit handsomely, while the majority of Chinese still face brutal working conditions and low wages, and all Chinese must endure strict political and social controls. Some of these controls regulate speech on the Internet -- and have generated criticism over the involvement of major U.S. corporations such as Yahoo!, Cisco, Microsoft, and Google.
The baby boomer generation is headed for a shock as it hits retirement: boomers will be long on life expectancy but short on income. In addition to Social Security, the pillars of retirement income for Americans have been either lifetime corporate pensions or employee-contribution plans such as 401Ks. But both retirement strategies are in trouble. Buffeted by pension cuts, corporate bankruptcies, and the 2001-2002 stock market crash, most boomers now expect to be working into their retirement years.
After a quarter-century of political denial and social stigma, of stunning scientific breakthroughs, bitter policy battles and inadequate prevention campaigns, HIV/AIDS continues to spread rapidly throughout much of the world. Through interviews with AIDS researchers, world leaders, activists, and patients, FRONTLINE investigates the science, politics, and human cost of this fateful disease and asks: What are the lessons of the past, and what can be done to stop AIDS? In Part 1, ?The Age of AIDS? traces the pandemic over the past 25 years, beginning with the virus's eary cases. Included: political denial; social stigma; the contamination of blood supplies; and the virus's personal toll. Dr. Jim Curran, who headed the CDC's AIDS initiative in the1980s, recounts the story of a Florida family whose house was burned down because their children were hemophiliacs with AIDS. Also: the impact of the deaths of Rock Hudson and Ryan White.
After a quarter-century of political denial and social stigma, of stunning scientific breakthroughs, bitter policy battles and inadequate prevention campaigns, HIV/AIDS continues to spread rapidly throughout much of the world. Through interviews with AIDS researchers, world leaders, activists, and patients, FRONTLINE investigates the science, politics, and human cost of this fateful disease and asks: What are the lessons of the past, and what can be done to stop AIDS? In the conclusion, of ?The Age of AIDS? Dr. David Ho's development of an AIDS drug ?cocktail,? and his belief (with five million new cases each year) that neither he nor his children will live to see the end of AIDS. Also: the efforts of Rev. Franklin Graham; Bono's activism and how the rock star got Sen. Jesse Helms to change his views on AIDS; the disease's impact in South Africa, Uganda, Brazil, China and Russia.
On September 11, 2001, deep inside a White House bunker, Vice President Dick Cheney was ordering U.S. fighter planes to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air above America. At that moment, CIA Director George Tenet was meeting with his counter-terrorism team in Langley, Virginia. Both leaders acted fast, to prepare their country for a new kind of war. But soon a debate would grow over the goals of the war on terror, and the decision to go to war in Iraq. Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and others saw Iraq as an important part of a broader plan to remake the Middle East and project American power worldwide. Meanwhile Tenet, facing division in his own organization, saw non-state actors such as Al Qaeda as the highest priority. FRONTLINE's investigation of the ensuing conflict includes more than forty interviews, thousands of pages of documentary evidence, and a substantial photographic archive. It is the third documentary about the war on terror from the team that produced Rumsfeld's War and The Torture Question.
FRONTLINE reports from the lawless Pakistani tribal areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and reveals how the area has fallen under the control of a resurgent Taliban militia. Despite the presence of 80,000 Pakistani troops, the Taliban and their supporters continue to use the region as a launching pad for attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Off limits to U.S. troops by agreement with Pakistan's president and long suspected of harboring Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, the area is now considered a failed state. President Pervez Musharraf tells FRONTLINE reporter Martin Smith that Pakistan's strategy, which includes cash payments to militants who lay down their arms, has clearly foundered. In a region little understood because it is closed to most observers, FRONTLINE investigates a secret front in the war on terror.
Five years after the attacks on 9/11 and the massive, multibillion-dollar reorganization of government agencies which followed, FRONTLINE and New York Times reporter Lowell Bergman investigates the domestic counterterrorism effort and asks whether we are any better prepared to prevent another catastrophic attack. Relying on interviews with high-level sources in the U. S. government, Bergman looks into the major cases brought inside the United States and reveals troubling flaws in what has been the largest reorganization of the government in half a century. The documentary focuses on who is the real enemy within the United States and whether we are prepared to defeat him.
In the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein, a group of Americans led by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III set off to Baghdad to build a new nation and establish democracy in the Arab Middle East. One year later, with Bremer forced to secretly exit what some have called "the most dangerous place on earth," the group left behind lawlessness, insurgency, economic collapse, death, destruction--and much of their idealism. Three years later, as the U.S. continues to look for an exit strategy, the government the Americans helped create and the infrastructure they designed are being tested. FRONTLINE Producer Michael Kirk follows the early efforts and ideals of this group as they tried to seize control and disband the Iraqi police, army and Baathist government--and how they became hardened along the way to the realities of postwar Iraq. The Lost Year in Iraq is based on numerous first-person interviews and extensive documentation from the FRONTLINE team that produced Rumsfeld's War, The Torture Question and The Dark Side.
On May 5, 2005, the residents of Spokane, Washington, awoke to one of the strangest headlines in the town's history: "West Tied to Sex Abuse in '70s, Using Office to Lure Young Men." The popular, socially conservative Republican mayor of Spokane, Jim West, had been outed by the town's newspaper The Spokesman-Review. The paper told the sordid story of a man with two lives: in public, he had once sponsored legislation forbidding gays from teaching in public schools, while in private, the paper alleged, he was trawling for young men online, using the trappings of his office to lure them into sexual relationships. But as bizarre as the revelations were, so too were the newspaper's methods. For months, a middle-aged "forensic computer specialist" had posed as an 18-year-old boy online, engaging the mayor in a relationship that became more and more intimate, ultimately exploding on the front page of the newspaper. In a media climate where sexual scandals dominate the headlines, FRONTLINE producers Rachel Dretzin and Barak Goodman investigate the complex relationship between politics, sexuality, fear, and judgment in one all-American town.
With 35 million elderly people in America, "the old, old" -- those over 85 -- are now considered the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. While medical advances have enabled an unprecedented number of Americans to live longer and healthier lives, this new longevity has also had unintended consequences. For millions of Americans, living longer also means serious chronic illness and a protracted physical decline that can require an immense amount of care, often for years and sometimes even decades. Yet just as the need for care is rising, the number of available caregivers is dwindling. With families more dispersed than ever and an overburdened healthcare system, many experts fear that we are on the threshold of a major crisis in care.
In News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades -- and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing -- and challenging -- the role of the press in our society. In part one of News War: Secrets, Sources & Spin, FRONTLINE examines the political and legal forces challenging the mainstream news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Correspondent Lowell Bergman talks to the major players in the debates over the role of journalism in 2007, examining the relationship between the Bush administration and the press; the controversies surrounding the use of anonymous sources in reporting from Watergate to the present; and the unintended consequences of the Valerie Plame investigation -- a confusing and at times ugly affair that ultimately damaged both reporters' reputations and the legal protections they thought they enjoyed under the First Amendment.
In News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades -- and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing -- and challenging -- the role of the press in our society. Part two continues with the legal jeopardy faced by a number of reporters across the country, and the additional complications generated by the war on terror. Correspondent Lowell Bergman interviews reporters facing jail for refusing to reveal their sources in the context of leak investigations and asks questions on tough issues that now confront the editors of the nation's leading newspapers, including: how much can the press reveal about secret government programs in the war on terror without jeopardizing national security? FRONTLINE looks past the heated, partisan rhetoric to determine how much of this battle is politics and whether such reporting actually harms national security.
In News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades -- and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing -- and challenging -- the role of the press in our society. The third hour of News War puts viewers on the front lines of an epic battle over the future of news. America's major network news divisions and daily newspapers are under siege, facing mounting pressure for profits from corporate owners, and growing challenges from cable television and the Internet, which are remaking the economics of the business and transforming the very definition of news. FRONTLINE talks to network executives, journalists, Wall Street analysts, bloggers, and key players at Google and Yahoo! who are all battling for survival and market dominance in a rapidly changing world of news. FRONTLINE also goes inside the embattled newsroom of The Los Angeles Times, one of the last remaining papers in the country still covering major national stories. Under severe pressure from Wall Street to cut costs and to compete for "eyeballs" in a new media world, editors at the paper are urgently trying to figure out what this means for their future news coverage and their public service mission.
In News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades -- and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration's attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing -- and challenging -- the role of the press in our society. The fourth hour of News War looks at media around the globe to reveal the international forces that influence journalism and politics in the United States. The lead story focuses on the new Arab media and its role in both mitigating and exacerbating the clash between the West and Islam. With a focus on Al Jazeera and how it has changed the face of a parochial and tightly controlled Arab media, this hour explores Al Jazeera's growing influence around the world -- from Muslim communities in Europe to the pending launch of a new English-language service that will be broadcast in the United States.
When he was 29 years old, Stephen Heywood was diagnosed with ALS -- also called Lou Gehrig's disease -- and told he had two to five years to live. But Stephen and his family refused to accept the doctors' death sentence. So Much So Fast follows the Heywoods' passionate, acerbic, and relentlessly hopeful reaction to a disease that transforms their lives. Stephen's older brother, Jamie, starts a foundation dedicated to finding a cure through fast-paced guerrilla science that attracts both praise and controversy. Stephen gets married and he and his wife, Wendy, have a son. They confront the encroaching paralysis of ALS with a mix of courage and humor, and, surrounded by friends and family, upend the cliches of their situation. From Oscar-nominated (Troublesome Creek) filmmakers Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan, So Much So Fast tells a haunting story of one family's unexpected answers to some of life's biggest questions.
Day after day scores of bodies litter the streets of Baghdad. To staunch the violence, the U.S. has spent billions to "stand up" the Iraqi forces. In Gangs of Iraq, a joint production of FRONTLINE and the "America at a Crossroads" series, FRONTLINE takes a hard look at how the four-year training effort has fared and how the coalition-trained forces have themselves been infiltrated by various sectarian militias. Now, with President Bush sending new U.S. troops to Iraq, it remains to be seen if America and its allies can build a national Iraqi army and police and restore order.
FRONTLINE and the Center for Investigative Reporting go behind the scenes to explore how bi-partisan political and economic forces prevented the U.S. government from confronting what may be one of the most serious problems facing humanity today. The film examines some of the key moments that have shaped the politics of global warming, and how local and state governments and the private sector are now taking bold steps in the absence of federal leadership.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of America's fastest growing religions, and its influence circles the globe. The church has 12 million members today and over half of them live outside the United States. Yet the birth of Mormonism and its history is one of America's great neglected narratives. This four-hour documentary brings together FRONTLINE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in their first co-production to provide a searching portrait of this fascinating but often misunderstood religion. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Helen Whitney ("Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero," "John Paul II: The Millennial Pope"), the film will explore the richness, the complexities, and the controversies of the Mormons' story as told through interviews with leaders and members of the church, with leading writers and historians, and with supporters and critics of the Mormon faith.
The U.S. is one of the very few countries in the world that allows children under eighteen to be prosecuted as adults and sentenced to life without parole. In Colorado, between 1992 and 2005, 45 juveniles between fifteen and eighteen were sentenced to prison without the hope of ever being released. Last spring, the state's legislature eased its tough laws targeting juvenile offenders. The state passed a bill that made parole possible after 40 years in prison, but the measure did not apply retroactively to the 45 former juveniles now in Colorado's prison system. Producer Ofra Bikel visits five young men in Colorado sentenced to life without parole to examine their crimes and punishment, the laws that sanctioned their convictions, and the prospect of never being free again.
FRONTLINE addresses an issue of major consequence for all Americans: Is the Bush administration's domestic war on terrorism jeopardizing our civil liberties? Reporter Hedrick Smith presents new material on how the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program works and examines clashing viewpoints on whether the president has violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and infringed on constitutional protections. In another dramatic story, the program shows how the FBI vacuumed up records on 250,000 ordinary Americans who chose Las Vegas as the destination for their Christmas-New Year's holiday, and the subsequent revelation that the FBI has misused National Security Letters to gather information. Probing such projects as Total Information Awareness, and its little known successors, Smith discloses that even former government intelligence officials now worry that the combination of new security threats, advances in communications technologies, and radical interpretations of presidential authority may be threatening the privacy of Americans.
As the United States begins one final effort to secure victory through a "surge" of troops, FRONTLINE investigates how strategic and tactical mistakes brought Iraq to civil war. The film recounts how the early mandate to create the conditions for a quick exit of the American military led to chaos, failure, and sectarian strife. In Endgame, producer Michael Kirk (Rumsfeld's War, The Torture Question, The Dark Side, and The Lost Year in Iraq) traces why the president decided to risk what military planners once warned could be the worst way to fight in Iraq -- door-to-door -- and assesses the likelihood of its success. Top administration figures, military commanders, and journalists offer inside details about the new strategy.
For three decades, Vice President Dick Cheney has waged a secretive, and often bitter battle to expand the power of the presidency. Now in a direct confrontation with Congress, as the administration asserts executive privilege to head off investigations into domestic wiretapping and the firing of U.S. attorneys, FRONTLINE meticulously traces the behind-closed-doors battle within the administration over the power of the presidency and the rule of law.
As Iraq descends into chaos and civil war, FRONTLINE examines the rise of its neighbor -- Iran -- as one of America's greatest threats and most puzzling foreign policy challenges. Through interviews with key players on both sides, FRONTLINE traces the tumultuous history of U.S.-Iran relations since 9/11 -- from unprecedented early cooperation in Afghanistan, to the growing crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions and Tehran's open threats to drive America out of the Middle East.
In this moving and powerful film, FRONTLINE enters the world of Thomas Lynch, a poet and undertaker whose family for three generations has cared for both the living and the dead in a small Michigan town. Through the intimate stories of families coming to terms with grief, mortality, and a funeral's rituals, the film illuminates the heartbreak and beauty in the journey taken between the living and the dead when a loved one dies.
The world invoked its vow "Never Again!" after the genocide in Rwanda and atrocities in Srebrenica. Then came Darfur. Over the past four years at least 200,000 people have been killed, 2.5 million driven from their homes, and mass rapes have once more been used as a weapon of war in a brutal campaign by Janjaweed militias and the Sudanese government against civilians in Darfur. FRONTLINE producer Neil Docherty asks why the international community and the United Nations have once again failed to stop the slaughter.
Ten years ago, stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall were the drugs of choice to treat behavioral issues in children. Today children as young as four years old are being prescribed more powerful anti-psychotic medications that are much less understood. The drugs can cause serious side effects and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. The increase in the use of anti-psychotics is directly tied to the rising incidence of one particular diagnosis -- bipolar disorder. Experts estimate that the number of kids with the diagnosis is now over a million and rising. As the debate over medicating children continues to grow, FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria confronts psychiatrists, researchers, and big pharma about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs for troubled children in "The Medicated Child."
MySpace. YouTube. Facebook. Friendster. Nearly every teen in America is on the Internet every day, socializing with friends and strangers alike, "trying on" identities, and building a virtual profile of themselves -- one that many kids insist is a more honest depiction of who they really are than the person they portray at home or in school. In "Growing Up Online," FRONTLINE peers inside the world of this cyber-savvy generation through the eyes of teens and their parents, who often find themselves on opposite sides of a new digital divide. A generation with a radically different notion of privacy and personal space, today's adolescents are grappling with issues their parents never had to deal with: from cyber bullying to instant "Internet fame," to the specter of online sexual predators. FRONTLINE producer Rachel Dretzin investigates the risks, realities, and misconceptions of teenage self-expression on the World Wide Web.
Five years ago, FRONTLINE and The New York Times joined forces to investigate death and dismemberment in one of America's most dangerous industries -- the iron pipe foundry business. One company stood out, the McWane Corporation. It had more health and safety violations than all of its competitors combined, and there were a number of environmental violations as well. In the five years since our original broadcast, federal prosecutors obtained indictments against and juries convicted the company in five cases in four states. Today McWane says it has made a dramatic turnaround and that worker safety and environmental protection are now high priorities. FRONTLINE revisits its original broadcast with correspondent Lowell Bergman who then reports on what has changed at McWane and whether the company has become a less dangerous business.
FRONTLINE cuts through the fog of war to reveal the untold story of what happened in Haditha, Iraq -- where twenty-four of the town's residents were killed by U.S. forces in what many in the media branded "Iraq's My Lai." With accusations swirling that the Marines massacred Iraqi civilians "in cold blood," the Haditha incident has led to one of the largest criminal cases against U.S. troops in the Iraq war. But real questions have emerged about what really happened that day, and who is responsible. Through television interviews with Iraqi survivors and Marines accused of war crimes, FRONTLINE investigates this incident and what it can tell us about the harrowing moral and legal landscape the U.S. military faces in Iraq.
9/11 and Al Qaeda, Afghanistan and Iraq, WMD and the Insurgency, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, and the Surge. For six years FRONTLINE has been revealing those stories in meticulous detail, and the political dramas played out at the highest levels -- George W. Bush and Tony Blair, Dick Cheney and Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice, Osama Bin Laden. Now, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the full saga will unfold in a special four-hour broadcast over two consecutive nights on PBS, titled Bush's War. Drawing on one of the richest archives in broadcast journalism (FRONTLINE's 40+ films), veteran producer Michael Kirk (Cheney's Law; Endgame; The Lost Year in Iraq; The Dark Side; The Torture Question; Rumsfeld's War; The Man Who Knew; The War Behind Closed Doors; Gunning for Saddam, Target America) also delivers new reporting and fresh interviews. Bush's War will be the definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in the nation's history. "Parts of this history have been told before -- the invasion of Afghanistan, torture, flawed intelligence and the invasion of Iraq, failures in the American occupation, and the saber-rattling over Iran," Kirk says, "But no one has laid out the entire narrative to reveal in one epic story, the scope and detail of how this war began and how it has been fought, both on the ground and deep inside the government."
In June 2007, as the American military surge reached its peak, a band of National Guard infantrymen who call themselves "The Bad Voodoo Platoon" was deployed to Iraq. To capture a vivid, first-person account of the new realities of war in Iraq for FRONTLINE and ITVS, director Deborah Scranton (The War Tapes) created "a virtual embed" with the platoon, supplying cameras to the soldiers so they could record and tell the story of their war. The film intimately tracks the veteran soldiers of "Bad Voodoo" through the daily grind of their perilous mission, dodging deadly IEDs, grappling with the political complexities of dealing with Iraqi security forces, and battling their fatigue and their fears.
Four in five Americans say the U.S. health-care system needs "fundamental" change. Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health-care system, or are these nations so culturally different from us that their solutions would simply not be acceptable to Americans? FRONTLINE correspondent T.R. Reid examines first-hand the health-care systems of other advanced capitalist democracies -- UK, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Taiwan -- to see what tried and tested ideas might help us reform our broken health-care system.
As darkness fell on May 10, 1996, a fast-moving storm of unimaginable ferocity trapped three climbing teams high on the slopes of Mount Everest. The climbers, exhausted from their summit climb, were soon lost in darkness, in a fierce blizzard, far from the safety of High Camp at...,000 feet. World-renowned climber and filmmaker David Breashears, who aided the rescue efforts back in 1996, now returns to Everest to tell the fuller story of what really happened on that legendary climb. Through remarkably intimate interviews with the climbers and Sherpas -- many who have never spoken before on American television -- Breashears sheds new light on the worst climbing tragedy in Mount Everest's history.
This spring, FRONTLINE explores the generation coming of age in China today. Shot over four years, the film follows a group of nine young Chinese from across the country as they scramble to keep pace with a society changing as fast as any in history. Their stories of ambition and desire, exuberance, crime and corruption are interwoven with moments of heartache and despair. Together they paint an intimate portrait of the generation that is remaking China.
This two-hour program examines the rich personal and political biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama and goes behind the headlines to discover how they arrived at this moment and what their very different candidacies say about America.
For years, big business -- from oil and coal companies to electric utilities to car manufacturers -- have resisted change to environmental policy and stifled the debate over climate change in America and around the globe. Now, facing rising pressure from governments, green groups and investors alike, big business is reshaping its approach to the environment. With the election looming, FRONTLINE producer Martin Smith investigates what some businesses are doing to fend off new regulations and how others are repositioning themselves to prosper in a radically changed world.
The next president of the United States will inherit some of the greatest foreign policy challenges in American history -- an overstretched military, frayed alliances, and wars on two fronts. FRONTLINE gives viewers a hard, inside look at the real policy choices the next president will face. The report features strategists and diplomats giving their best advice about how to correct past failures and how to shape a realistic foreign policy approach in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In the wake of yet another hard-fought and bitter presidential campaign, FRONTLINE presents a spirited and revealing biography of Lee Atwater, the charming, Machiavellian godfather of modern, take-no-prisoners Republican political campaigns. Through eye-opening interviews with Atwater's closest friends and adversaries, the film explores the life of the controversial political operative who mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush, led the GOP to historic victories, and wrote the party's winning playbook. The story tracks Atwater's rise from his beginnings in South Carolina as a high school election kingmaker all the way to the White House and his subsequent battle with cancer and final search for forgiveness and redemption. To Democrats, Atwater was a political assassin who one Congresswoman dubbed "the most evil man in America," but to Republicans he remains a hero for his deep understanding of the American voter and his unapologetic vision of politics as warfare.
FRONTLINE looks at Venezuela's controversial and outspoken president Hugo Chavez and the revolution he claims is turning his country into an anti-capitalist beacon for Latin America and the world. Through the lens of his unique weekly program "Al Presidente" and the eyes of the Venezuelans who know him well, FRONTLINE digs below the surface of his presidency and his personality to try to understand the mercurial leader.
Six months after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, producer June Cross came across 82-year-old Herbert Gettridge working alone on his home in the lower Ninth Ward, a neighborhood devastated when the levees broke in August 2005. Over the next two years, Cross would document the story of the extended Gettridge clan -- an African-American family with deep roots in New Orleans -- as they struggled to rebuild their homes and their lives. Their efforts would be deeply impacted by larger decisions about urban planning, public health, and the insurance industry, by the decisions of policymakers about federal funding for rebuilding the Gulf, and state and city plans for dispersing those monies. The moving personal story of Mr. Gettridge and his family reveals the human cost of this tragedy, the continued inadequacies of government's response in the aftermath of Katrina, and how race, class, and politics have affected the attempts to rebuild this American city.
As Barack Obama prepares to assume the presidency on January 20th, 2009, FRONTLINE tells the story of how a little known state senator rose from obscurity to the White House in just over four years. Dreams of Obama draws on interviews with those closest to the next president to provide insight into how Obama might lead the country. A personal and political biography, the film begins with Obama's first appearance on the national stage at the 2004 Democratic convention, and follows his carefully choreographed and meteoric rise to prominence within the Democratic Party. Along the way, FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk examines how Obama's life experiences made him uniquely suited to launch his successful campaign to become the country's first black president. Obama's closest friends and advisors reveal how his time as a community organizer in Chicago, his election to the presidency of the Harvard Law Review, and rise to the top of Illinois politics taught him how to navigate America's complicated racial and political divides.
In 2004, journalist Dave Iverson received the same news that had been delivered to his father and older brother years earlier: He had Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that affects about one million Americans. In a FRONTLINE and ITVS joint production, Iverson sets off on a personal journey to explore the scientific, ethical and political debates that surround Parkinson's, a disease at the center of the ongoing controversy over embryonic stem cell research. Iverson talks to scientists on the cutting edge of new cures and therapies for Parkinson's as well as a number of other major neurological conditions. And he has intimate conversations with fellow Parkinson's sufferers like actor Michael J. Fox and writer Michael Kinsley.
FRONTLINE investigates the causes of the worst economic crisis in 70 years and how the government responded. The film chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, Lehman Brothers' collapse, the propping up of insurance giant AIG, and the $700 billion bailout. Inside the Meltdown examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke didn't see, couldn't stop and haven't been able to fix.
All of the federal government's efforts to stem the tide in the financial meltdown that began with the subprime mortgage crisis have added hundreds of billions of dollars to our national debt. FRONTLINE reports on how this debt will constrain and challenge the new Obama administration, and on the growing chorus on both sides of the aisle that without fiscal reform, the United States government may face a debt crisis of its own which makes the current financial situation pale in comparison. Through interviews with leading experts and insiders in government finance, the film investigates the causes and potential outcomes of -- and possible solutions to -- America's $10 trillion debt.
As the worsening economy leads to massive job losses -- potentially increasing the ranks of the tens of millions of Americans without health insurance -- FRONTLINE travels the country examining the nation's broken health care system and exploring the need for a fundamental overhaul. The scale of the problem now facing the Obama administration, FRONTLINE finds, is staggering, as lay-offs, major illness, and other unexpected life changes leave more and more Americans uninsured, underinsured or uninsurable. FRONTLINE also goes inside insurance companies to question executives on their policies, programs and priorities and examines the problems in one state's attempts at health care reform.
FRONTLINE investigative correspondent Lowell Bergman examines the shadowy world of international bribery. The story reveals how multi-national companies create slush funds, set up front companies, and make secret payments, all to get billions in business. But these practices are facing a new international crackdown, led by prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice and allies abroad. At the center of this is a controversial, ongoing investigation into the British-based multi-national BAE Systems and allegations about billion-dollar bribes.
More than two decades after the Clean Water Act was supposed to make America's waters clean enough for swimming and fishing again, two iconic waterways -- the great coastal estuaries of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay -- are in perilous condition. With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists fear contamination to the food chain and drinking water for millions of people. A growing list of endangered species is also threatened in both estuaries. As a new president, Congress and the states set new agendas and spending priorities, FRONTLINE correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the rising hazards to human health and the ecosystem, and why its so hard to keep our waters clean.
This year, hundreds of thousands of prisoners with serious mental illnesses will be released into communities across America, the largest exodus in the nation's history. Typically, mentally ill offenders leave prison with a bus ticket, $75 and two weeks worth of medication. Within eighteen months, nearly two-thirds are re-arrested. In this follow up to the groundbreaking film The New Asylums, FRONTLINE examines what happens to the mentally ill when they leave prison and why they return at such alarming rates. The intimate stories of the released -- along with interviews with parole officers, social workers, and psychiatrists -- provide a rare look at the lives of the mentally ill as they struggle to stay out of prison and reintegrate into society.
In the mid-1960s, Bernard Madoff tapped money from Jewish businessmen at exclusive country clubs with the promise of steady guaranteed returns on their investments. He then set his sights on Europe and Latin America, brokering deals with powerful hedge fund managers and feeder funds from Buenos Aires to Geneva. Billions of dollars were channeled to Madoff's investment firm, and his feeders became fabulously wealthy. The competition wondered how the man could produce such steady returns in good times and bad. There were allegations that Madoff was "front-running" or operating a Ponzi scheme, which the SEC investigated several times over the last two decades. But Madoff remained untouched until Dec. 11, 2008, when he admitted it was all "one big lie." FRONTLINE producers Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria unravel the story behind the world's first truly global Ponzi scheme -- a deception that lasted longer, reached wider and cut deeper than any other business scandal in history.
The bets were huge and risky -- billions of dollars on the housing market. The upside was undeniable -- superbanks reaped billions of dollars, dominated the landscape, and gobbled up competitors. Then the bottom dropped out -- the massive losses on Wall Street nearly broke the banks. In the worst crisis in decades, brand name banks are on the brink. Now as the federal government implements an unprecedented intervention in the industry, FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors to tell the inside story of how things went so wrong so fast and to document efforts to stabilize Wall Street. Veteran FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk (Inside the Meltdown) untangles the complicated financial and political web threatening one particular superbank-Bank of America.
Tens of thousands of fresh American troops are now on the move in Afghanistan, led by a new commander and armed with a counterinsurgency plan that builds on the lessons of Iraq. But can U.S. forces succeed in a land long known as the "graveyard of empires"? FRONTLINE producers Martin Smith (Beyond Baghdad, Return of the Taliban) and Marcela Gaviria (In Search of Al Qaeda, The War Briefing) once again make the dangerous journey to the front lines of America's biggest fight. Through interviews with the top U.S. commanders on the ground, embeds with U.S. forces and fresh reporting from Washington, Smith and Gaviria examine U.S. counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- a fight that promises to be longer and more costly than most Americans understand.
In the devastating aftermath of the economic meltdown, FRONTLINE sifts the ashes for clues about why it happened and examines critical moments when it might have gone much differently. Looking back into the 1990s, veteran FRONTLINE producer/director Michael Kirk (Inside the Meltdown, Breaking the Bank) discovers early warnings of the crash, reveals an intense battle among high-ranking members of the Clinton administration, and uncovers a concerted effort not to regulate the emerging, highly complex, and lucrative derivatives markets, which would become the ticking time-bomb within the American economy.
Producer Ofra Bikel chronicles how the middle class is faring in this recession through the stories of the people who she's come to know at the hair salon she's frequented for the past twenty years. The film reveals the struggles of a small business owner to stay afloat, her sister's risk of imminent foreclosure on her Florida home, and the various clients whose lives intersect at this New York City salon--from well-to-do bankers to struggling actors, each with a story to tell about how they're getting by in these turbulent times.
FRONTLINE probes the fault lines of a growing battle in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, home to the world’s last great wild sockeye salmon fishery – and enormous mineral deposits.
At the height of the protests following Iran's controversial presidential election this summer, a young woman named Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed on the streets of Tehran. Her death -- filmed on a cameraphone, then uploaded to the web -- quickly became an international outrage, and Agha Soltan became the face of a powerful movement that threatened the hard-line government's hold on power. With the help of a unique network of correspondents in and out of the country, FRONTLINE investigates the life and death of the woman whose image remains a potent symbol for those who want to keep the reform movement alive. The film also explores a number of unanswered questions in the aftermath of the greatest upheaval in Iran since the 1979 revolution: How many were arrested and killed as the security forces attempted to contain the growing protest movement? To what extent was the presidential vote manipulated? What is the future of the movement that seems to have been silenced?
As credit card companies face rising public anger, new regulation from Washington and a potential perfect storm of economic bad news, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman examines the future of the massive consumer loan industry and its impact on a fragile national economy. In a joint project with The New York Times, Bergman and the Times talk to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates as they square off over new regulation and the possible creation of a consumer finance protection agency. How are the credit, debit and pre-paid card industries repositioning themselves to maintain high profits under the new rules? The stakes couldn't be higher as many fear the consumer loan industry could be at the center of the next crisis.
Over a single generation, the Web and digital media have remade nearly every aspect of modern culture, transforming the way we work, learn, and connect in ways that we're only beginning to understand. FRONTLINE producer Rachel Dretzin (Growing up Online) teams up with one of the leading thinkers of the digital age, Douglas Rushkoff (The Persuaders, Merchants of Cool), to continue to explore life on the virtual frontier. The film is the product of a unique collaboration with visitors to the Digital Nation Web site, who for the past year have been able to react to the work in progress and post their own stories online. Dretzin and her team report from the front lines of digital culture--from love affairs blossoming in virtual worlds, to the thoroughly wired classrooms of the future, to military bases where the Air Force is fighting a new form of digital warfare. Along the way, they begin to map the critical ways that technology is transforming us, and what we may be learning about ourselves in the process.
One year after the deadly airline crash of Continental 3407 in Buffalo, NY, FRONTLINE investigates the accident and discovers a dramatically changed airline industry, where regional carriers now account for half of the nation's daily departures. The rise of the regionals and arrival of low-cost carriers have been a huge boon to consumers, and the industry insists that the skies remain safe. But many insiders are worried that now, 30 years after airline deregulation, the aviation system is being stretched beyond its capacity to deliver service that is both cheap and safe.
This past fall, an Afghan video journalist negotiated extraordinary access to a part of the country that has quietly reverted back to Taliban control. For close to two weeks, the journalist traveled a region that he found was now largely under control of the Taliban "shadow" government. He also tracked members of an insurgent cell working with members of Al Qaeda on a mission to sabotage a major U.S./NATO supply route. As the new U.S. strategy focuses on the south and eastern parts of the country, this film opens up a window onto a potential new front in the north, and sheds an important light on who's fighting the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and why. Also in this hour: A report from Pakistan on the country's troubled public school system which is among the worst in the world, despite years of U.S. aid.
Do we have the right to end our lives if life itself becomes unbearable, or when we enter the late-stages of painful, terminal illness? The questions, debated for centuries, have only grown more pressing in recent years as medical technology has allowed us to live longer lives, and several U.S. states have legalized physician-assisted suicide. With unique access to Dignitas, the Swiss non-profit that has helped over one thousand people die since 1998, Academy award- winning filmmaker John Zaritsky offers a revealing look at a couple facing the most difficult decision of their lives--and lets us see for ourselves as one Chicago native makes the trip to Switzerland for what will become the last day of his life.
On January 12, 2010, Haiti was leveled by one of the most devastating earthquakes in recorded history. Those responsible for handling the catastrophe, including the Haitian state and the United Nations, were crippled by the magnitude of the disaster and struggled to respond. In the confused aftermath, survivors were left without food, water or shelter. FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith and team arrived in Port-au-Prince within days, and in this powerful report, bears witness to the disaster and the ill-coordinated relief efforts in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Drawing on interviews with key officials and humanitarian experts from Port-au-Prince to New York, The Quake asks, can the world do better? And how?
Health care reform was the first big policy deal taken on by the Obama administration. Many say the young president has bet the mid-term elections, possibly his presidency, on the outcome. In a new investigation FRONTLINE goes behind closed doors at the White House, in Congress and the boardrooms of the giant health-care lobby to examine the political battles and costly compromises that defined Barack Obama's endeavor. From early positive efforts, through the bitter battles with the Tea Party, the elation of apparent success at Christmas, to the crushing failure in the Massachusetts Senatorial election, FRONTLINE follows the story and reveals the first in-depth look at how the Obama administration operates. In Obama's Deal, FRONTLINE veteran producer Michael Kirk (Bush's War, Dreams of Obama, Inside the Meltdown, The Warning) provides a sobering expose' of the realities of American politics, the power of special interest groups, and the role of money in policy making.
In Afghanistan today, in the midst of war and endemic poverty, an ancient tradition ? banned when the Taliban were in power ? has re-emerged across the country. It?s called Bacha Bazi, translated literally as ?boy play.? Hundreds of boys, some as young as 11, street orphans or boys bought from poor families by former warlords and powerful businessmen, are dressed in women?s clothes, taught to sing and dance for the entertainment of male audiences and then sold to the highest bidder or traded among the men for sex. With remarkable access inside a Bacha Bazi ring operating in northern Afghanistan, Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi investigates this practice, still illegal under Afghan law, talking with the boys, their families and their masters, exposing the sexual abuse and even murders of the boys, and documenting how Afghan authorities responsible for stopping these crimes are sometimes themselves complicit in the practice.
Public health scientists and clinicians tout vaccines as one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. But for many ordinary Americans vaccines have become controversial. Young parents are concerned at the sheer number of shots -- some 26 inoculations for 14 different diseases by age 6 -- and follow alternative vaccination schedules advocated by gurus like Dr. Robert Sears. Other parents go further. In communities like Ashland, Oregon, up to one-third of parents are choosing not to vaccinate their kids at all. And some advocacy groups, like Generation Rescue, argue that vaccines are no longer a public health miracle but a scourge; they view vaccines as responsible for alarming rises in certain disorders, including ADHD and autism. This is the vaccine war: On one side sits scientific medicine and the public health establishment; on the other a populist coalition of parents, celebrities (like Jenny McCarthy), politicians and activists. It's a war that increasingly takes place on the Internet with both sides using the latest social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter, to win the hearts and minds of the public.
The business of higher education is booming. It's a $400 billion industry fueled by taxpayer money. But what are students getting out of the deal? Critics say a worthless degree and a mountain of debt. Investors insist they're innovators, widening access to education. FRONTLINE follows the money to uncover how Wall Street and a new breed of for-profit universities are transforming the way we think about college in America.
Since the Iraq War began, soldier arrests in the city of Colorado Springs have tripled. At least thirty-six servicemen based at the nearby Army post of Fort Carson have committed suicide. And fourteen Fort Carson soldiers have been charged or convicted in at least eleven killings. Many of the most violent crimes involved men who had served in the same battalion in Iraq. Three of them came from a single platoon of infantrymen. FRONTLINE tells the dark tale of the men of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st battalion of the 506th infantry; and how the war followed them home. It is a story of heroism, grief, vicious combat, depression, drugs, alcohol and brutal murder; an investigation into the Army's mental health services; and a powerful portrait of what multiple tours and post-traumatic stress are doing to a generation of young American soldiers.
Behind the enduring images of heroic rescues undertaken by the New Orleans Police Department in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there is another story of law enforcement in crisis, even out of control. Law & Disorder a year-long, ongoing collaboration among FRONTLINE, ProPublica and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, investigates charges that NOPD officers inappropriately used lethal force against New Orleans citizens and then tried to cover up their actions. Airing days before the fifth anniversary of one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history and drawing from reports published in a real-time online investigation, FRONTLINE takes a fresh look at how the NOPD performed when the rules of civilized society collapsed.
The first hour of God in America explores the origins of America’s unique religious landscape--how the New World challenged and changed the faiths the first European settlers brought with them. In New Mexico, the spiritual rituals of the Pueblo Indians collided with the Catholic faith of Franciscan missionaries, ending in a bloody revolt. In New England, Puritan leader John Winthrop faced off against religious dissenters from within his own ranks. And a new message of spiritual rebirth from evangelical preachers like George Whitefield swept through the American colonies, upending traditional religious authority and kindling a rebellious spirit that converged with the political upheaval of the American Revolution.
Hour two considers the origins of America’s experiment in religious liberty, examining how the unlikely alliance between evangelical Baptists and enlightenment figures such as Thomas Jefferson forged a new concept of religious freedom. In the competitive religious marketplace unleashed by this freedom, upstart denominations raced ahead of traditional faiths and a new wave of religious revivals swept thousands of converts into the evangelical fold and inspired a new gospel of social reform. In a fierce political struggle, Catholic immigrants challenged Protestant domination of public schools and protested the daily classroom practice of reading from the King James Bible.
Hour three explores how religion suffused the Civil War. As slavery split the nation in two, Northern abolitionists and Southern slaveholders turned to the Bible to support their cause. Former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass condemned Christianity for sanctioning slavery. In the White House, Abraham Lincoln struggled to make sense of the war’s carnage and the death of his young son. The president, who previously had put his faith in reason over revelation, embarked on a spiritual journey that transformed his ideas about God and the ultimate meaning of the war.
During the 19th century, the forces of modernity challenged traditional faith and drove a wedge between liberal and conservative believers. Bohemian immigrant Isaac Mayer Wise embraced change and established Reform Judaism in America while his opponents adhered to Old World traditions. In New York, Presbyterian biblical scholar Charles Briggs sought to wed his evangelical faith with modern biblical scholarship, leading to his trial for heresy. In the 1925 Scopes evolution trial, Christian fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan faced off against freethinker Clarence Darrow in a battle between scientific and religious truth.
Hour Five explores the post-World War II era, when rising evangelist Billy Graham tried to inspire a religious revival that fused faith with patriotism in a Cold War battle with "Godless Communism." As Americans flocked in record numbers to houses of worship, non-believers and religious minorities appealed to the US Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of religious expression in public schools. And civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a modern-day prophet, calling upon the nation to honor both biblical teachings and the founders’ democratic ideals of equal justice.
The final hour of God in America brings the series into the present day, exploring the religious and political aspirations of conservative evangelicals’ moral crusade over divisive social issues like abortion and gay marriage. Their embrace of presidential politics would end in disappointment and questions about the mixing of religion and politics. Across America, the religious marketplace expanded as new waves of immigrants from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America made the United States the most religiously diverse nation on earth. In the 2008 presidential election, the re-emergence of a religious voice in the Democratic Party brought the country to a new plateau in its struggle to reconcile faith with politics. God in America closes with reflections on the role of faith in the public life of the country, from the ongoing quest for religious liberty to the enduring idea of America as the "city on a hill" envisioned by the Puritans nearly 400 years ago.
Did Texas execute an innocent man? Several controversial death penalty cases are currently under examination in Texas and in other states, but it's the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham -- convicted for the arson deaths of his three young children -- that's now at the center of the national debate. With unique access to those closest to the case, FRONTLINE examines the Willingham conviction in light of new science that raises doubts about whether the fire at the center of the case was really arson at all. The film meticulously examines the evidence used to convict Willingham, provides an in-depth portrait of those most impacted by the case, and explores the explosive implications of the execution of a possibly innocent man.
Long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf, BP was widely viewed as a company that valued deal-making and savvy marketing over safety, a "serial environmental criminal" that left behind a long trail of problems -- deadly accidents, disastrous spills, countless safety violations -- which many now believe should have triggered action by federal regulators. Could the spill have been prevented? Through interviews with current and former employees and executives, government regulators, and safety experts, FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith joins with the investigative non-profit ProPublica to examine the trail that led to the disaster in the Gulf. From BP's vast oil fields in Alaska to its refineries in Texas and its trading rooms in New York and London, the film raises new questions about whether BP's corporate culture will finally be forced to change.
Why would four innocent men confess to a brutal crime they didn't commit? FRONTLINE producer Ofra Bikel (Innocence Lost, An Ordinary Crime) investigates the conviction of four Navy sailors for the rape and murder of a Norfolk, Virginia, woman in 1997. In interviews with the sailors, Bikel learns of some of the high-pressure police interrogation techniques, including the threat of the death penalty, sleep deprivation, and intimidation, that led each of the "Norfolk Four" to confess, despite any evidence linking them to the crime. All four sailors are now out of prison -- one served his sentence and the other three were granted conditional pardons last summer -- but the men were not exonerated as felons or sex offenders. The case raises disturbing questions about the actions of the police and prosecutors, who relied on the sailors' often contradictory confessions for their convictions, and disregarded DNA evidence that pointed to a lone assailant who would later confess to the crime himself while serving prison time for another rape.
How far would you go to sustain the life of someone you love, or your own? When the moment comes, and you're confronted with the prospect of "pulling the plug," do you know how you'll respond? Unfounded rumors of federal "death panels" grabbed headlines last summer, but the real decisions of how we die -- the questions that most of us prefer to put off -- are being made quietly behind closed doors, increasingly on the floors of America's intensive care units. In this film, FRONTLINE gains access to the ICU of one of New York's biggest hospitals to examine the complicated reality of today's modern, medicalized death. Here, we find doctors and nurses struggling to guide families through the maze of end-of-life choices they now confront: whether to pull feeding and breathing tubes, when to perform expensive surgeries and therapies or to call for hospice. The film also offers an unusually intimate portrait of patients facing the prospect of dying in ways that they might never have wanted or imagined.
One year after the earthquake, FRONTLINE examines the uphill fight to rebuild Haiti in the face of gang violence and corruption.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Dana Priest investigates the terrorism-industrial complex that grew up in the wake of 9/11.
A dysfunctional system in which there are few standards, little oversight, and the mistakes are literally buried.
Inside the youth movement that ignited the uprising, and a hard look at the Muslim Brotherhood, a key player in Egypt's future.
This month's magazine: college sports; Chinese artist Ai Weiwei; the soldier accused of being a Wikileaker
High school football has never had a higher profile ... but is winning worth the risks?
The Silence and Flying Cheaper
Inside two fronts of the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban
Inside the military's secret campaign to take out Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters.
FRONTLINE reveals the inside story of Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and the biggest intelligence breach in U.S. history.
The Child Cases and Educating Sergeant Pantzke
The Pot Republic, Doctor Hotspot, The Atomic Artists
FRONTLINE reveals 9/11's unprecedented yet largely invisible legacy: the creation of a vast maze of clandestine government and private agencies designed to hunt terrorists and prevent future attacks on the U.S. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, FRONTLINE investigates the vast maze of clandestine government efforts created after 9/11 for the purpose of hunting terrorists and preventing future attacks.
"The Interrogator" and an encore of "Are We Safer?"
Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money" travels to Haiti to meet a man with an unlikely tourism plan to help turn around his country's economy.
FRONTLINE, ProPublica and McClatchy Newspapers team up for a hard look at the FBI's investigation of the nation's most notorious act of bioterrorism.
FRONTLINE and the Investigative Reporting Workshop explore the secretive world of immigration detention and examine the Obama administration's controversial get-tough immigration policy.
"Syria Undercover" and "The Regime."
FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate the mysterious circumstances behind American David Coleman Headley's rise from heroin dealer and government informant to plotting the 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai. Despite repeated warnings, how did Headley slip into India to scout targets? And how much did U.S. officials know about his relationship with terrorist group Lashkar-i-Taiba?
Young farm girls are caught in the crossfire of attempts to eradicate Afghanistan's drug trade.
A revealing look at the CIA’s drone program in Pakistan and covert support for elements of the Taliban by the Pakistani military and its intelligence service, the ISI. Contains updates not previously reported.
FRONTLINE examines the implications of the Fukushima accident for U.S. nuclear safety, and asks how this disaster will affect the future of nuclear energy around the world.
"The Interrupters" presents profiles in courage, as three former street criminals in Chicago place themselves in the line of fire to protect their communities. The film follows the lives of these "Violence Interrupters," who include the charismatic daughter of one of the city's most notorious former gang leaders, the son of a murdered father, and a man haunted by a killing he committed as a teenager. As they intervene in disputes to prevent violence, they reveal their own inspired journeys of struggle and redemption. From director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here), "The Interrupters" chronicles an intimate, year-long journey across the stubbornly violent landscape of our cities through the eyes of those fighting to sow peace and security.
The demand for better and faster cell phone service comes with a hidden cost. This joint investigation by FRONTLINE and ProPublica has found that the independent contractors who are building and servicing America's cellular infrastructure are 10 times more likely than an average construction worker to die on the job. Complex layers of subcontracting insulate the carriers against liability, despite the fact that they set the aggressive schedule that can force subcontractors to cut corners in order to meet deadlines.
FRONTLINE continues its investigation of nuclear safety with an unprecedented account of the crisis inside the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex after a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011. With exclusive eyewitness testimony, FRONTLINE tells the story of the workers struggling frantically to reconnect power inside the plant's pitch-dark and highly radioactive reactor buildings; the nuclear experts and officials in the Prime Minister's office fighting to get information as the crisis spiraled out of control; and the plant manager who disobeyed his executives' orders when he thought it would save the lives of his workers. The story profiles the Japanese soldiers and firefighters drafted to cool the reactors, who were wounded when the reactor housings exploded; and the families living near the nuclear plant, who unknowingly fled in the same direction as the radioactive plume, exposing themselves to dangerously high radiation levels.
The battle over the future of News Corporation and Rupert Murdoch's reputation is chronicled.
Evidence collected at crime scenes -- everything from fingerprints to bite marks -- is routinely called upon in the courtroom to prosecute the most difficult crimes and put the accused behind bars. And though glamorized on commercial television, in the real world it's not so cut-and-dried. FRONTLINE investigates the serious flaws in some of the best-known tools of forensic science.
FRONTLINE takes you inside the rapid rise of credit default swaps, including the voices of those who created them. With the real estate market booming, bankers successfully tweaked the credit default swap to bundle up and sell home mortgage loans to eager investors. But despite the money flowing into banks’ coffers, credit default swaps also loaded the financial system with lethal risk. And when the housing bubble burst, the credit default swaps — originally designed to stabilize the system — brought the global economy to its knees. Regulators, who had often stood on the sideline and allowed Wall Street to police itself, saw the ugly consequences rapidly unfold before them.
FRONTLINE investigates the largest government bailout in U.S. history, a series of decisions that rewrote the rules of government and fueled a debate that would alter the country’s political landscape. It offers play-by-play accounts of several secret meetings that permanently altered the financial system.
It has been seven months since the collapse of MF Global, yet thousands of former clients have yet to fully recover money they invested with the firm. An estimated $1.6 billion in customer funds went missing in the days leading up to MF Global’s bankruptcy. The story behind the firm’s failure is clearer today, yet many important questions remain unanswered.
Since the death of Osama bin Laden, Yemen has become the hottest front in the war against Al Qaeda. Now, with headlines about a terrorist plot to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner, award-winning reporter and FRONTLINE correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad travels into the heart of Yemen's radical heartland. His first hand report shows how members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have taken advantage of turmoil in the country to impose their rule on areas of south Yemen. As the US expands its drone war to prevent terrorists from establishing a new safe haven, FRONTLINE shows how AQAP is taking control of towns and cities in an attempt to establish its own state. Also in this hour, the story of Al Qaeda operative Fahd al Quso --killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen early this month - as told by former FBI agent Ali Soufan who first interrogated him before 9/11.
Miles O'Brien investigates the flaws in America's dental system and nascent proposals to fix them.
Traces the history of the AIDS epidemic through experiences of individuals in the black community.
Students and teachers from a West Philadelphia High School make super-hybrid cars for a competition.
How one Bronx school is using a novel form of data collection and analysis to predict and prevent dropouts before they happen.
Journey into the heart of the insurgency for an an unprecedented portrait of Syria's rebel leaders.
A journey through an inner-city high school investigates the challenges of America's dropout crisis.
This election special offers biographies of presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
John Hockenberry goes inside organizations that fought to redefine the politics of global warming.
A look at how the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision changed US campaigns focuses on Montana.
The world of assisted suicide, one of the most polarizing social issues of our time, is explored.
An intimate portrait of the economic crisis in America focuses on what poverty means to children.
The legacy of Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools, is examined.
As Barack Obama is sworn in for his second term, FRONTLINE takes a probing look at the first four years of his presidency. With inside accounts from his battles with his Republican opponents over health care and the economy to his dramatic expansion of targeted killings of enemies, FRONTLINE examines the president's key decisions and the experiences that will inform his second term.
A look at why Wall Street's leaders and have escaped prosecution since America's financial meltdown.
Drawing on interviews with key players in Congress and the White House, FRONTLINE shows how a clash of politics and personalities has taken the nation’s economy to the edge of the "fiscal cliff," and now to a second round of standoffs over the debt ceiling and sequestration. Frontline investigates how Washington has failed to solve America's problems of debt and deficit.
Frontline investigates Adam Lanza and the town he changed forever after the killings at Sandy Hook. In the wake of the mass killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, FRONTLINE investigates a young man and the town he changed forever. In collaboration with "The Hartford Courant," FRONTLINE looks for answers to the central - and so far elusive - question: Who was Adam Lanza?
In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland (The Farmer's Wife, Country Boys) creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a divorced single mother living on North Dakota's Spirit Lake Reservation. Sutherland follows Robin as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education, and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
An unprecedented film documents the new and perilous reality of everyday life for both Syria’s rebels and its regime.
Frontline raises troubling questions about how America's financial institutions protect our savings, and reveals how fees, self-dealing and kickbacks bring great profits to Wall Street while imperiling the prospects of a secure future for individuals.
In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota's Spirit Lake Reservation. Sutherland follows Robin over three years as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education, and heal herself from the the wounds of sexual abuse.
Filmmaker and Holocaust survivor Marian Marzynski returns to Poland and the Jewish ghettos of his childhood to chronicle the poignant, painful recollections of other child survivors.
A teenager makes her way through Pakistan's broken justice system after accusing four men of rape.
For the women who pick and process the food we eat every day, getting sexually assaulted, and even raped, is sometimes part of the job. FRONTLINE and Univision partner to tell the story of the hidden price many migrant women working in America's fields and packing plants pay to stay employed and provide for their families. This investigation is the result of a yearlong reporting effort by veteran FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman, the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley and the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Two families in Milwaukee - one black, one white - work hard to keep from sliding into poverty.
A look at the nation's largest assisted living company sheds light on this billion dollar industry.
Martin Smith and Charles Sennott examine the rise and rapid fall of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.
The National Football League, a multibillion-dollar commercial juggernaut, presides over America's indisputable national pastime. But the NFL is under assault as thousands of former players and a host of scientists claim the league has covered up how football inflicted long-term brain injuries on many players. In a special investigation, FRONTLINE and prize-winning journalists Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN reveal the hidden story of the NFL and brain injuries, drawn from their forthcoming book League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth (Crown Archetype, October 2013). What did the NFL know and when did it know it? What's the truth about the risks to players? What can be done? The FRONTLINE investigation details how, for years, the league denied and worked to refute scientific evidence that the violent collisions at the heart of the game are linked to an alarming incidence of early onset dementia, catastrophic brain damage, death, and other devastating consequences for some of football's all-time greats.
A look the alarming rise of untreatable infections in hospitals, communities and across the globe.
Lee Harvey Oswald and forensic evidence of his role in the Kennedy assassination are investigated.
Allegations of domestic violence surface during the investigation of a deputy sheriff's death.
Billionaire Steven A. Cohen and the largest insider trading scandal in US history are investigated.
FRONTLINE goes inside secretive North Korea to explore life under its new ruler Kim Jong-Un.
Three years in to Syria's civil war, another enemy has emerged: factions aligned with Al Qaeda. Go inside the rebels' new fight with rare, exclusive footage from inside the country.
A look at how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media.
Benedict's papacy and the battle to set the Church on a new path under Pope Francis are explored.
Families battle the spreading strains of Tuberculosis in the Southern African nation of Swaziland.
Interviews with inmates and prison officers shed light on America's use of solitary confinement.
A look at the impact of mass incarceration in America focuses on a housing project in Kentucky.
The history of the National Security Agency's unprecedented surveillance program is investigated.
The role of Silicon Valley in the National Security Agency's surveillance program is explored.
Personal and dramatic footage reveal a look inside the raging battle zones of Ukraine and Syria.
The growing racial divide in American schools is examined, with a focus on Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 2 years after Middle School Moment FRONTLINE revists Omarina in an examination on the dropout crisis.
FRONTLINE examines the unfolding chaos in Iraq and how the US is being pulled back in the conflict.
Ebola Outbreak: From the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, Frontline follows health officials tracking the deadly disease and trying to stop its rampant spread. With special access to teams fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone, the film shows how the outbreak is endangering health- care workers, overwhelming hospitals and getting worse. Also this hour, Frontline investigates accounts that members of the Nigerian military have been committing atrocities in the fight against Boko Haram – the Islamist militants who kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in April. Hunting Boko Haram: FRONTLINE investigates evidence that in the fight against Boko Haram, members of the Nigerian military and state-sponsored militias have been committing atrocities against suspects, many of them innocent civilians.
Frontline investigate the growing resistance to antibiotics.
FRONTLINE investigates the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Correspondent Martin Smith reports from Iraq on how the country began coming undone after the American withdrawal and what it means for the U.S. to be fighting there again.
What are the costs of doing business in a war zone? FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate the relationship between Firestone and the infamous Liberian warlord Charles Taylor.
How the NRA became a powerful lobbying force. Included: remarks from individuals on both sides of the gun-control debate, including former NRA spokesman John Aquilino; Vice President Joe Biden; and former NRA executive vice president Warren Cassidy.
An investigation of Vladimir Putin. Included: the claims of criminality and corruption that have accented his reign as Russia's ruler.
The way that doctors care for the terminally ill is examined by writer-doctor Atul Gawande. Included: the struggle many doctors face in talking honestly with dying patients.
A report on the escalating conflict in Yemen. Included: the violent feuds that are tearing the country apart; the rival anti-American and Al Qaeda-aligned forces fighting for control; and the consequences for the region.
FRONTLINE investigates American-born terrorist David Coleman Headley, who helped plan the deadly 2008 siege on Mumbai. In collaboration with ProPublica, the film -- an updated and expanded version of A Perfect Terrorist -- reveals how secret electronic surveillance missed catching the Mumbai plotters, and how Headley planned another Charlie Hebdo-like assault against a Danish newspaper.
FRONTLINE filmmaker Dan Edge spent months on the ground in West Africa, tracing the outbreak's path through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and uncovering the hidden story of what happened before the world started paying attention. With exclusive access to key global decision-makers and health responders, and gripping firsthand accounts of victims from the jungles of Guinea to the slums of Monrovia, Outbreak exposes tragic missteps in the response to the epidemic
FRONTLINE investigates the spread of dangerous pathogens in our meat -- particularly poultry -- and why the food-safety system isn't stopping the threat. Focusing on an outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg at one of the nation's largest poultry processors, the documentary reveals how contaminants are evading regulators and causing more severe illnesses at a time when Americans are consuming more chicken than ever.
From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk comes the dramatic story of the fight over the CIA's controversial interrogation methods, widely criticized as torture. Based on recently declassified documents and interviews with key political leaders and CIA insiders, the film investigates what the CIA did -- and whether it worked.
Inside the Obama administration’s struggle to deal with ISIS and the deadly civil war in Syria.
Following up on the award-winning collaboration that produced Rape in the Fields/Violación de un Sueño in 2013, FRONTLINE (PBS), Univision, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), the Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) at UC Berkeley, and KQED are teaming up to uncover the sexual abuse of immigrant women who clean the malls where you shop, the banks where you do business, and the offices where you work.
Just a generation ago, it was adults, not kids, who changed genders. But today, many children are transitioning, too -- with new medical options, and at younger and younger ages. In "Growing Up Trans," a 90-minute special airing June 30 on PBS, FRONTLINE takes viewers on an intimate and eye-opening journey inside the struggles and choices facing transgender kids and their families.
Hear gripping, first-hand accounts of women who escaped the brutal reign of ISIS. This hard-hitting film explores the lives of women who were held as sex slaves, the people who saved them and women who endured-and also enforced-ISIS' harsh rules.
Two filmmakers set out to interview El Chapo Guzmán, leader of one of the biggest drug cartels — who is now on the lam once again.
Producer Ken Dornstein's quest to find those responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people, including his brother.
In producer Ken Dornstein's quest to find those responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, evidence leads to Zurich and Libya.
Producer Ken Dornstein attempts to make contact with a suspected bombmaker as he searches for those responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Battles and secret negotiations over immigration reform on Capitol Hill, including President Barack Obama's policy changes that could affect the fate of millions.
Martin Smith reports from government-controlled areas in Syria, and provides firsthand accounts from Syrians caught in the conflict.
An investigation into murders and attacks against Vietnamese-American journalists uncovers a trail from American cities to the jungles of Southeast Asia.
The rise of ISIS in Afghanistan, including the training of new jihadists; Pakistan's police fight against the Taliban.
An examination of the clash between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, from Netanyahu's rise to power to their disagreement over how to handle Iran and its nuclear program.
An investigation into the hidden dangers of vitamins and supplements, a multibillion-dollar industry with limited FDA oversight. FRONTLINE, The New York Times and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation examine the marketing and regulating of supplements, and cases of contamination and serious health problems.
A joint investigation with the New York Times of fantasy sports and online sports betting -- their growth and how they operate.
A searing, two-hour investigation places America’s heroin crisis in a fresh and provocative light -- through the stories of individual addicts, a social context years in the making, shifts in U.S. drug policy, and treatment of addiction as a public health issue rather than a crime.
Efforts to bring about change in Saudi Arabia are examined.
Filmed over three years, four children survive war-torn Aleppo, Syria, and escape to a new life in Germany.
Journalist Feras Kilani reports from inside the war-torn city of Benghazi -- the birthplace of Libya's uprising, now besieged by ISIS and warring militias. Then, journalist Safa Al Ahmad makes a dangerous trip to report on the fighting in Yemen.
The inside story of the creation of ISIS, and how the United States missed the many warning signs. Veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and team uncover the terror group's earliest plans, the Islamic radicals who became its leaders, and the American failures to stop ISIS's brutal rise.
When disaster strikes, who profits? FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy -- the thousands still not home, the agencies that were supposed to help, and the companies that made millions.
Jelani Cobb examines the allegations of police abuses against the Newark Police Deparment.
An examination of alleged predatory behavior and fraud in the for-profit college industry as well as the collapse of Corinthian Colleges. Then, the impact that a program to stem the high school drop-out crisis had on one young woman.
FRONTLINE's acclaimed election-year series investigates what has shaped Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, two of the most polarizing presidential candidates in modern history; where they came from; how they lead; and why they want one of the most difficult jobs imaginable.
FRONTLINE investigates the U.S.-led efforts to degrade and destroy ISIS. Reporting from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Turkey, this two-hour film examines the successes, failures, and challenges of the fight, as ISIS loses ground in the region but strikes out abroad.
FRONTLINE and ProPublica go inside Europe’s fight against Islamic terrorism. As Europe reels from a terror onslaught, top security officials describe their struggle to contain the unprecedented threat revealed by attacks in France and Belgium.
Refugees and migrants fleeing war and persecution document their journeys on camera phones as they leave their homes and seek safety and refuge in Europe.
Interviews with key players provide insight into the life, character and moments that shaped President-elect Donald Trump.
An in-depth examination of the partisanship that gridlocked Washington, D.C., during the Obama presidency; the rise of populist anger on both sides of the aisle; the increase of racial tensions throughout the country.
Donald Trump's path to the presidency is chronicled including remarks from key players in his campaign.
A look at what's going on in areas of Iraq freed from ISIS. Also: the battle for Mosul.
A detainee is released from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp after serving 14 years; the struggle to free prisoners who are deemed international terrorists; the history of the prison.
Militias work with the military to fight for control in Iraq; the impact of the fighting on civilians; a look at areas where the Islamic State group has been pushed out.
The U.S. is the world leader in solitary confinement, with more than 80,000 prisoners being held in isolation. But in recent years, more than 30 states have begun to experiment with reforms aimed at reducing the use of solitary. On Tuesday, April 18, FRONTLINE presents “Last Days of Solitary” — a searing, two-hour exploration of this controversial practice. Filmed over three years, “Last Days of Solitary” goes inside one state’s ambitious attempt to decrease its use of solitary and investigates what happens when prisoners who have spent considerable time in isolation try to integrate back into society.
“What fish should I eat that’s good for me and good for the planet?” Bestselling author and lifelong fisherman Paul Greenberg (“Four Fish”; “American Catch”) sets out to answer that question in “The Fish on My Plate,” a 90-minute FRONTLINE special. As part of his quest to investigate the health of the ocean — and his own — Greenberg spends a year eating seafood at breakfast, lunch and dinner. With people worldwide consuming more seafood than ever, Greenberg also explores questions of sustainability and overfishing, traveling to Norway, where modern fish farming was invented; Peru to witness the world’s largest wild fishery; Alaska, where 200 million salmon can be caught each year; and Connecticut to visit a sustainable ocean farming pioneer who is trying to transform the fishing industry.
Inside the fight over the fate of juveniles in prison for murder, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The film examines the impact of the order to re-evaluate thousands of juvenile murder cases and follows two of the first convicts to be released.
An examination of the billions spent on housing the poor and why so few get the help they need.
An examination of the conflict between the Bundy family and the federal government, which has reinvigorated "patriot" groups due to what they see as federal overreach. Beginning in 1993, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy began grazing his cattle on federal land sans permit. The resulting dispute culminated in a 2014 standoff with federal officials trying to take his cattle. In 2016, his sons led the occupation of a federal preserve in Oregon as a protest against the arson convictions of two ranchers.
Examine Trump advisor Stephen Bannon's war—with radical Islam, Washington, and White House rivals. Learn about his fight to deliver on Trump's promises, with a confrontational style based on his personal crusade to dramatically transform America.
The challenges faced by former prisoners during their first year on parole are chronicled. Included: an effort to change the way parole works in Connecticut in order to reduce the number of people returning to prison.
Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.
The intentions and capabilities of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and claims that he ordered the assassination of his brother.
Conservative political forces and causes, including skepticism about climate change, propel Scott Pruitt to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Inside the battle to defeat ISIS in Mosul, Iraq. Included: combat footage of an Iraqi Special Forces unit that bore the brunt of the fighting. Also: a rare look at airstrikes on Yemen by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition.
For months, reports of Russian interference in the 2016 election have dominated the headlines. Now, FRONTLINE tells the story of how Vladimir Putin came to see the United States as an enemy — and why he decided to target an American election. In a special, two-part documentary with in-depth reporting from Moscow and Washington, D.C., Michael Kirk and the team behind “The Choice 2016“ examine Putin’s rise, rule and motivations.
Conclusion. The U.S. struggled to decide how to confront Vladimir Putin over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Revenge may have motivated Putin to target American democracy.
Through the stories of three families told over the course of half a decade, FRONTLINE explores what poverty means to children in America.
The intimate stories of refugees and migrants, caught in Europe's tightened borders. Amid the ongoing migration crisis, the film -- a sequel to FRONTLINE's award-winning 2016 documentary, "Exodus" -- follows personal journeys over two years, as countries become less welcoming to those seeking refuge.
Killings linked to the MS-13 gang and the crackdown that led to the unlawful detainment of some immigrant teens.
Highlights the 40 year struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia for dominance in the Middle East, in part, on behalf the the Shite or Sunni factions of Islam.
Frontline explores the postulate that the current turmoil in the Middle East, particularly in Syria Iraq and Yemen, is a primarily a manifestation of a forty year power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
How Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed and abused dozens of women over four decades. With allegations dating to Weinstein's early years, the report investigates how he and those around him tried to silence his accusers.
Inside President Trump's high-stakes battle for control of the Republican Party. Included: How Trump attacked fellow Republicans and used inflammatory rhetoric that rallied his base and further divided the country in his first year as president.
Inside John McCain’s complicated relationship with President Trump and his own party.
A labor trafficking investigation reveals a criminal network forcing Guatemalan teens to work against their will in Ohio.
The humanitarian and economic crisis in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
Secret footage going back years shows the effort to kill and expel Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. With accounts from victims and a whistleblower within the military, the film examines evidence that security forces committed crimes against humanity.
Investigate sex abuse by United Nations peacekeepers in the world's conflict zones. The film traces allegations from Bosnia to Congo to the Central African Republic, with firsthand accounts from survivors, witnesses and officials
The inside story of what happened to immigrant children separated from their parents at the border. The film explores the impact of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, and how both Trump and Obama dealt with minors at the border.
Exposing the white supremacists and Neo-Nazis involved in the 2017 Charlottesville rally. An investigation with ProPublica shows how some of those behind the racist violence went unpunished and continued to operate around the country.
A revealing series on life inside Iran, with New York Times correspondent Thomas Erdbrink. In this two-night documentary special, Erdbrink shares a rare journey into a private Iran often at odds with its conservative clerics and leaders. The series offers surprising encounters inside the closed society of Iran, as Erdbrink gets Iranians to reveal the intricacies of their private worlds and the challenges of living under theocratic leaders.
Thomas Erdbrink is one of the last Western journalists living in Iran. In this two-part series, he goes beyond the headlines and gets Iranians to reveal the intricacies of their private worlds as their country goes through a rollercoaster of changes — with a modernizing society pitted against ideologically conservative clerics.
Dayton, Ohio was once a hub for innovation and industry, before businesses shut down or moved away. Then came the Great Recession. In its aftermath, part-time, low-wage work rather than full-time work with benefits has often become the new normal in cities like Dayton. FRONTLINE and ProPublica go inside one American city’s struggle to recover.
FRONTLINE goes inside President Trump’s fight against the investigation of his campaign and whether he obstructed justice. With the threat of impeachment growing, this two-hour documentary from filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team traces Trump’s unprecedented war against the special counsel, the FBI, and even his own attorney general.
FRONTLINE investigates the role of state governments and Wall Street in driving America’s public pensions into a $4-trillion hole. Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith, and Nick Verbitsky go inside the volatile fight over pensions playing out in Kentucky, and examine the broader consequences for teachers, police, firefighters and other public employees everywhere.
Part 1 of 2. An examination of Facebook's impact on privacy and democracy in the U.S. and around the world. Included: How the company faced claims of misuse while becoming an unprecedented global power.
Conclusion. Facebook's response to charges that it promotes "fake news" and disrupts American politics. Included: the company's role sowing division worldwide; and the challenges that face the social media platform.
A neo-Nazi group has actively recruited inside the U.S. military. An investigation with ProPublica shows the group's terrorist objectives and how it gained strength after the 2017 Charlottesville rally.
Examining the rise of severe black lung disease among coal miners, and the failure to respond. An investigation with NPR reveals the biggest disease clusters ever documented, and how industry and government failed to protect miners. Also in this two-hour report: A report from Yemen. Correspondent Safa Al Ahmad reports from inside Yemen, investigating the escalation of the U.S. fight against Al Qaeda and its impact on civilians. She travels to the front lines, visiting the sites of Special Forces raids and a deadly drone strike to shed light on how the U.S. counter-terrorism strategy is playing out on the ground.
A report on a pediatrician accused of sexually abusing Native American boys for years. An investigation with The Wall Street Journal into the decades-long failure to stop a government doctor who moved from reservation to reservation despite warnings.
Thousands of New Yorkers with severe mental illnesses won the chance to live independently in supported housing, following a 2014 federal court order. FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate what’s happened to people moved from adult homes into apartments and find more than two dozen cases in which the system failed, sometimes with deadly consequences.
Go inside the war crimes trial of Ratko Mladić, one of the most infamous figures of the Balkan wars in the 1990s. Offering exclusive access to the prosecution and defense teams, the film chronicles the trial of a man accused of genocide and war crimes. It also gives firsthand accounts from survivors of atrocities Mladić is accused of masterminding.
For two years, special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election has dominated headlines. Drawing from interviews with U.S. officials, Trump advisers, legal experts and journalists, FRONTLINE offers an inside look into the investigation that President Donald Trump has continually deemed a “witch hunt.”
Elizabeth Perez, a decorated U.S. Marine veteran, fights to reunite her family after her undocumented husband, Marcos, is deported. Meanwhile, Marcos is alone in Mexico, working as a soccer referee, struggling with depression and fighting the urge to cross the border illegally to see his family. In a special presentation from FRONTLINE, Independent Lens and VOCES, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland (Kind-Hearted Woman, Country Boys, The Farmer’s Wife), examines the U.S. immigration system through two unforgettable protagonists whose lives reveal the human cost of deportation.
An investigation explores both sides of the abortion debate through the stories of women struggling with unplanned pregnancies.
Some of the last survivors of the Holocaust reflect on how their experiences affected the rest of their lives.
The inside story of President Trump’s gamble to confront China over trade. Reporting from the U.S. and China, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate what led the world’s two largest economies to the brink, and the billions at stake.
Inside the no-holds-barred war for control of the Supreme Court. From Brett Kavanaugh to Robert Bork, an investigation of how a 30-year-old grievance transformed the court and turned confirmations into bitter, partisan conflicts.
Sex Trafficking in America tells the unimaginable stories of young women coerced into prostitution – and follows one police unit that’s committed to rooting out sexual exploitation.
A FRONTLINE documentary, drawing from a two-year investigation, uncovers the extent of a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak during the Flint water crisis — and how officials failed to stop it
One year after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a two-hour FRONTLINE documentary investigates the rise and rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (MBS). Correspondent Martin Smith, who has covered the Middle East for FRONTLINE for 20 years, examines the crown prince’s vision for the future, his handling of dissent, his relationship with the United States — and his ties to Khashoggi’s killing.
A searing, on-the-ground look at President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly campaign against suspected drug dealers and users in the Philippines, “On the President’s Orders” is told with unprecedented access to the police themselves. It offers a gripping, visually stunning window into the war on drugs — those carrying it out, and those most impacted by it.
FRONTLINE investigates how President Trump turned immigration into a powerful political weapon that fueled division and violence. The documentary goes inside the efforts of three political insurgents to tap into populist anger, transform the Republican Party and crack down on immigration.
A year after the devastating Camp Fire, FRONTLINE examines who’s to blame and why it was so catastrophic. With accounts from survivors and first responders, the documentary tells the inside story of the most destructive fire in California’s history, its causes and the impact of climate change.
FRONTLINE investigates the promise and perils of artificial intelligence, from fears about work and privacy to rivalry between the U.S. and China. The documentary traces a new industrial revolution that will reshape and disrupt our lives, our jobs and our world, and allow the emergence of the surveillance society.
An investigation into the widespread consequences and business of the mass confinement of migrant children detained under President Donald Trump's immigration policies; sexual exploitation of women in Iraq. BBC News Arabic’s Nawal al-Maghafi reports from inside Iraq, where she investigates how some clerics are abusing an ancient Islamic marriage practice to exploit women and girls.
The personal story of a young Syrian mother's perseverance through the siege of Aleppo. Told as a love letter from a mother to her daughter, the film explores the agonizing dilemma of whether to abandon Aleppo and the fight for freedom.
FRONTLINE investigates how El Paso, Texas became the Trump administration’s immigration policy testing ground, and then the target of a white supremacist. Interviews with current and former officials, Border Patrol agents, advocates and migrants tell the inside story from the epicenter of the border crisis.
FRONTLINE begins its 2020 election year coverage with a two-part, four-hour documentary series investigating America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump draws on revelatory new interviews with key political and cultural figures, as well as an unparalleled archive of in-depth broadcast reporting across two presidential administrations, to offer crucial context for the current moment. Part One traces how Barack Obama’s promise of unity collapsed as increasing racial, cultural and political divisions laid the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump.
FRONTLINE begins its 2020 election year coverage with a two-part, four-hour documentary series investigating America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump draws on revelatory new interviews with key political and cultural figures, as well as an unparalleled archive of in-depth broadcast reporting across two presidential administrations, to offer crucial context for the current moment. Part Two examines how Trump’s campaign exploited the country’s divisions, how his presidency has unleashed anger on both sides of the divide, and what America’s polarization could mean for the country’s future.
Taliban Country: Nearly 20 years after the U.S. drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, the group claims it holds more territory that any time since the war began in 2001. As President Trump says he wants to end the war, FRONTLINE reporter Najibullah Quraishi goes on a dangerous journey inside both Taliban- and ISIS-held territory and exposes the harsh reality that not only is the Taliban once again wielding power, but the threat from ISIS looms large. The Luanda Leaks: As part of a worldwide investigation with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that draws on a trove of more than 700,000 leaked documents, FRONTLINE examines how Africa’s richest woman, Isabel dos Santos, built a business empire with access to state funds from one of the poorest countries on earth — and the role U.S. companies have played in helping her amass her fortune.
With unique access inside the battle for Hong Kong, FRONTLINE follows five protesters through the most intense clashes over several months of pro-democracy protests. The film examines their struggle against what they say is growing influence from the communist government of mainland China.
Jeff Bezos is not only one of the richest men in the world, he has built a business empire that is without precedent in the history of American capitalism. His power to shape everything from the future of work to the future of commerce to the future of technology is unrivaled. As politicians and regulators around the world start to consider the global impact of Amazon — and how to rein in Bezos’ power — FRONTLINE investigates how he executed a plan to build one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world.
Once an unrivaled political power, the NRA is facing challenges from all sides. FRONTLINE investigates the organization’s history and evolution, how it aligned with President Donald Trump and his base, and why it is under attack ahead of the 2020 election.
With the plastic industry expanding like never before and the crisis of ocean pollution growing, FRONTLINE and NPR investigate the fight over the future of plastics.
With undercover footage and firsthand accounts from survivors of China's detention camps, FRONTLINE investigates the Communist regime’s mass imprisonment of Muslims, and its use of sophisticated surveillance technology against the Uyghur community.
How did the U.S. become the country with the worst known coronavirus outbreak in the world? FRONTLINE investigates the American response to COVID-19 — from Washington State to Washington, D.C. — and examines what happens when politics and science collide.
FRONTLINE goes inside a hospital battling the coronavirus crisis in northern Italy, as doctors are forced to make life and death decisions. An intimate, exclusive story that follows one besieged ER doctor, her staff and the patients suffering from COVID-19, from the darkest days to the signs of hope.
As COVID-19 spread from Asia to the Middle East to Europe, why was the U.S. caught so unprepared? Despite repeated warnings of a potent contagion headed our way, America’s leaders failed to prepare and protect us. Why and who is accountable?
The story of a drug company that pushed opioids by bribing doctors and committing insurance fraud. With the Financial Times, FRONTLINE investigates how Insys Therapeutics profited from a fentanyl-based painkiller 50 times stronger than heroin.
This is the story of the Iraq war, told by Iraqis who lived through it. They share their personal accounts and lasting memories of life under Saddam Hussein, the U.S.-led invasion of their country and the 17 years of chaos that followed — from the sectarian violence to the rise and brutal reign of ISIS.
FRONTLINE examines how the COVID crisis has hit vulnerable immigrants and undocumented workers. The documentary follows the coronavirus pandemic’s invisible victims, including crucial farm and meat-packing workers who lack protections and have been getting sick.
How trafficking in conspiracy theories went from the fringes of U.S. politics into the White House. FRONTLINE examines the alliance of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Trump advisor Roger Stone, and the president, and their role in the battle over truth and lies.
Two intimate stories of immigrant families whose lives were upended by the coronavirus. "Love, Life and the Virus" follows Zully, a 30-year-old mother, who is diagnosed with COVID-19 — and gives birth while on a ventilator. “Undocumented in the Pandemic” tells the story of an family’s struggle to stay together, as a father is detained by ICE in a facility where COVID-19 is spreading.
Their families were already struggling to make ends meet. Then came the coronavirus. Director Jezza Neumann, who made 2012’s Poor Kids, once again delves into how poverty impacts children. With the 2020 election approaching, Growing Up Poor in America follows three children and their families in the battleground state of Ohio as the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies their struggle to stay afloat. As the country also reckons with issues of race and racism, the children share their worries and hopes about their futures.
George Floyd's killing triggered mass demonstrations nationwide calling for racial justice and police accountability in the United States. In the wake of those protests, New Yorker writer and historian Jelani Cobb returns to a troubled police department he first visited four years ago to examine whether reform can work, and how police departments can be held accountable.
In the midst of the historic coronavirus pandemic, economic hardship and a reckoning over racism, this November Americans will decide who leads the nation for the next four years: President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden. Ahead of the 2020 election, FRONTLINE’s critically acclaimed series “The Choice” returns with interwoven investigative biographies of both men, focusing on how they have responded in moments of crisis. In this 2-hour special from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, hear from friends, family, colleagues and adversaries about the challenges that shaped Trump and Biden’s lives and could inform how they confront the crises facing the nation at this pivotal juncture.
Why was the United States left scrambling for critical medical equipment as the coronavirus swept the country? With the Associated Press, FRONTLINE investigates the fragmented global medical supply chain and its deadly consequences. Aired 2020-10-06.
As America chooses its next president in the midst of a historic pandemic, FRONTLINE investigates whose vote counts — and whose might not. With Columbia Journalism Investigations and USA Today, New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb reports on allegations of voter disenfranchisement, rhetoric and realities around mail-in ballots, and how the pandemic could impact turnout.
From the pandemic to the polls, 2020 has been a time of tumult across a deeply divided America. FRONTLINE presents a post-election special on the lives, fears and hopes of Americans in the chaotic months leading up to the historic presidential contest. This documentary was filmed around the U.S. for much of the year, following Americans as they dealt with COVID-19 in their communities this spring, responded to George Floyd’s killing this summer, and then experienced the polarizing election and its aftermath this fall.
Return From ISIS follows an American mom and her kids from Indiana to the heart of the self-declared ISIS caliphate and back. In this special report three years in the making, producer Josh Baker (Battle for Iraq) investigates how the family ended up in Syria and what happened when they came home to the United States.
With press freedom under threat in the Philippines, "A Thousand Cuts" goes inside the escalating war between the press and the government. The documentary follows Maria Ressa, a renowned journalist who has become a top target of President Duterte's crackdown on the news media.
FRONTLINE tells the story of how crisis and tragedy prepared Joe Biden to become America’s next president. Those who know him best describe the searing moments that shaped President-elect Biden and what those challenges reveal about how he will govern.
From his first days as president to his last, how Trump stoked division, violence, and insurrection. FRONTLINE investigates Trump’s siege on his enemies, the media, and even the leaders of his own party, who for years ignored the warning signs of what was to come.
The untold story of the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and how China responded. Chinese scientists and doctors, international disease experts and health officials reveal missed opportunities to suppress the outbreak, and lessons for the world.
How Iranian-backed Shia militias are terrorizing Iraq. FRONTLINE investigates allegations that militias are threatening and killing critics with impunity and targeting U.S. interests. Also in this hour, how COVID is worsening Yemen's humanitarian crisis.
At Black-owned funeral homes in New Orleans, COVID-19 reshapes the grieving process. How the pandemic has transformed mourning in a city known for its jazz-filled funerals. Also in this hour, the story of a mom's fight to survive the virus and see her newborn.
Over the last three years, FRONTLINE has collaborated with ProPublica to investigate the rise of extremism in America. In the aftermath of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, FRONTLINE and ProPublica team up again to examine how far-right groups were emboldened and encouraged by former President Trump and how individuals were radicalized and brought into the political landscape.
The epic story of how people around the world lived through the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, from lockdowns to funerals to protests. Filming across the globe and using extensive personal video and local footage, FRONTLINE documented how people and countries responded to COVID-19 across cultures, races, faiths and privilege.
Personal video and local footage reveal the different struggles, beliefs and responses people around the world have had to COVID-19.
An unprecedented undercover investigation into one of the world’s most repressive regimes — Eritrea. Exclusive secret footage and testimony shed new light on shocking allegations of torture, arbitrary detention and indefinite forced conscription.
An investigation into growing inequities in American health care exposed by COVID-19 and how the pressure for profit and uneven government support is creating a larger divide between rich and poor hospitals.
In his first interview with a Western journalist, Syrian militant and former al-Qaida commander abu Mohammed al Jolani seeks a new relationship with the West.
FRONTLINE investigates the rise of far-right extremism and violence in Germany. The documentary traces how extremists have carried out terror plots and attacks on Jews and migrants, infiltrated the security services, and what authorities are doing to confront the growing problem.
When COVID-19 struck, the Federal Reserve stepped in to try to avert economic crisis. As the country’s central bank continues to pump billions of dollars into the financial system daily, who is benefiting and at what cost?
FRONTLINE investigates the consequences of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. With exclusive access to a militant wing of the Taliban, correspondent Najibullah Quraishi tells the story of Iran’s growing influence across Afghanistan. Also this hour, a report on politics and rape in India.
How seven men in Miami were indicted for the biggest alleged Al Qaeda plot since 9/11.
From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.
The Taliban take over Afghanistan and the threat of ISIS and Al Qaeda intensifies.
"Pandora Papers" is a collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and reporters around the world that examines the global entanglement of political power and secretive offshore finance, and how U.S. trusts are sheltering millions in controversial assets. "Massacre in El Salvador" is a short film showing the ongoing fight for justice for the horrific 1981 attack on the village of El Mozote and surrounding areas.
Amid record police shootings in Utah, an investigation into the use of deadly force in the state. With local journalism partner The Salt Lake Tribune, FRONTLINE examines police training, tactics and accountability, as well as racial disparities in the way force is used.
Who killed Wharlest Jackson Sr.? In investigating the unsolved 1967 murder of a local NAACP leader, “American Reckoning” reveals an untold story of the civil rights movement and Black resistance.
FRONTLINE tells the story of what led to Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, examining the events that shaped the Russian leader, the grievances that drive him and how a growing conflict with the West exploded into war in Europe.
An examination of the powerful and polarizing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The documentary traces Pelosi's life and legacy, how she has gained and wielded power across three decades, and how she has faced grave challenges to her leadership and to American democracy from Trump and his allies.
FRONTLINE and ProPublica examine how lies about election fraud in 2020 have made their way to the center of American politics and how a handful of people have had an outsized impact on the current crisis of democratic legitimacy in the United States.
FRONTLINE examines the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change. This three-part series traces decades of missed opportunities and the ongoing attempts to hold Big Oil to account.
FRONTLINE examines the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change. Part Two of this three-part series explores the industry’s efforts to stall climate policy, even as evidence about climate change grew more certain in the new millennium.
Part Three examines how the fossil fuel industry worked to delay the transition to renewable energy sources - including by promoting natural gas as a cleaner alternative.
FRONTLINE and Star Tribune examine the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the struggle for police accountability.
Why have American families struggled to keep their homes during the COVID pandemic, despite a federal ban on evictions? With Retro Report, FRONTLINE offers an intimate look at the United States’ affordable housing crisis through the eyes of tenants, landlords, judges and law enforcement.
A dramatic and intimate look inside the Russian assault on Kharkiv. FRONTLINE follows displaced families trying to survive underground, civilians caught in the war and first responders risking their lives amid the shelling of Ukraine’s second largest city.
An undercover investigation into the Taliban’s crackdown on women in Afghanistan. FRONTLINE correspondent Ramita Navai finds women who are being punished by the regime and confronts Taliban officials.
FRONTLINE’s season premiere investigates American political leaders and choices they made that have undermined and threatened democracy in the U.S. In a two-hour documentary special premiering ahead of the 2022 midterms, FRONTLINE examines how officials fed the public lies about the 2020 presidential election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.
How retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn emerged as a leading conspiracy theorist, from QAnon to “Stop the Steal,” and his ties to Christian nationalism.
Frontline and the AP uncover exclusive and harrowing evidence that links possible war crimes in Bucha through the chain of command to one of Russia’s top generals — evidence that prosecutors hope might help build a case against Russian President Vladimir Putin in court. But the joint investigation also explores the challenges of trying to hold Putin and other Russian leaders to account.
Documenting how the war in Ukraine is being seen at home in Russia
FRONTLINE, The Associated Press and SITU investigate Russian war crimes by mapping the atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, through eyewitness accounts, videos and exclusive 3D data. Also in this 2-part hour, the story of a family’s struggle to reunite after being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
FRONTLINE and Forbidden Films, the documentary arm of Forbidden Stories, investigate the powerful spyware Pegasus, sold to governments around the world by the Israeli company NSO Group. This two-part series, part of the Pegasus Project, examines how the hacking tool was used on journalists, activists, the wife and fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and others.
FRONTLINE tells the story of Vladimir Putin’s clashes with American presidents as he’s tried to rebuild the Russian empire.
High inflation, fear of recession and disruptions — like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank — how did we get here? FRONTLINE examines the Federal Reserve's policies and the potential consequences of its record pace of interest rate hikes to try and fight inflation.
As controversy erupts around Clarence and Ginni Thomas, FRONTLINE tells the inside story of their path to power. This investigation from veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team traces how race, power and controversy collide in the rise of the Supreme Court justice and his wife and how the couple has reshaped American law and politics.
The enduring story of the battle of Fallujah, told by the people who lived through it. In this documentary from filmmaker James Bluemel (Once Upon A Time In Iraq, Exodus), soldiers, journalists and ordinary Iraqis recount one of the defining episodes of the Iraq War twenty years after the invasion.
A year after the Uvalde school shooting, FRONTLINE, Futuro Investigates and The Texas Tribune document the community’s trauma and the fight over assault rifles. Journalist Maria Hinojosa examines the police response, Uvalde’s history of struggle and its efforts to heal.
FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate deadly truck accidents and the fight over measures that could save thousands of lives.
With a trove of gripping footage filmed by protestors, this documentary goes inside the uprising that rocked Iran after the death of a young woman in police custody — and sheds new light on a regime under unprecedented pressure.
The story of Vladimir Putin's rise, his clashes at home and abroad and how the war against Ukraine has threatened his power.
Produced with The Marshall Project as part of FRONTLINE’s fellowship with Firelight Media, "Two Strikes" examines how a former West Point cadet got life in prison under a "two strikes" law. A powerful and unforgettable window into the lives of incarcerated pregnant women — and what happens to their newborns.
The story of one journalist’s battle to defend free speech in Putin’s Russia. With unique access, FRONTLINE follows Nobel Peace Prize-winner Dmitry Muratov as he fights to keep his newspaper alive and his reporters safe amid a government crackdown.
FRONTLINE examines the Houston Astros cheating scandal and what it says about baseball today. With reporter Ben Reiter, the documentary traces the making of one of the best teams and worst scandals in modern Major League Baseball history, the limited accountability and how the Astros’ approach to baseball changed the sport.
FRONTLINE traces Elon Musk’s long and often troubled relationship with Twitter. James Jacoby and Anya Bourg (Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos, The Facebook Dilemma) follow Musk’s journey from being one of the platform’s most provocative users to becoming its sole proprietor, exploring the acquisition, free speech issues and the company’s uncertain future.
How Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell helped transform the Supreme Court and U.S. politics. Amid scrutiny of the high court and a power struggle in the GOP, FRONTLINE examines McConnell's rise and role in pushing the judiciary to the right and America's polarized democracy.
As Mariupol came under Russian attack, Ukrainian AP video journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues risked their lives to show the world the truth of the war.
Drawing on real-time, firsthand accounts and using official bodycam and audio, FRONTLINE, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reconstruct the chaotic response to the Uvalde school shooting and examine the missteps. The documentary delves into the lessons learned and the lingering trauma of that day.
An investigation into how a young Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked classified documents on the Discord chat platform. With The Washington Post, FRONTLINE examines Jack Teixeira’s alleged leak of national security secrets, why he wasn’t stopped and the role of platforms like Discord.
As the war in Gaza continues with devastating consequences, a major 90-minute documentary offers a sweeping examination of the critical moments and missteps that led to this crisis over the course of the past three decades, and the pivotal role of a central player: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
With the war raging in Gaza, FRONTLINE investigates rising tensions on the ground in the West Bank.
FRONTLINE investigates the roots of the criminal cases against former President Trump stemming from his 2020 election loss.
How thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken and held in Russian-controlled areas.
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press investigate deaths that occurred after police used tactics like prone restraint and other “less-lethal force.” The documentary and accompanying reporting draw on police records, autopsy reports and body cam footage, and the most expansive tally of such deaths nationwide
With the Venezuelan news outlet Armando.info, FRONTLINE investigates the shadowy figure at the heart of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S. This 90-minute documentary tells the inside story of Alex Saab, his capture and then release by the U.S. in a controversial prisoner swap, and what has happened to the journalists who helped uncover the corruption scandal.
FRONTLINE and Retro Report tell the inside story of the protests dividing college campuses over Israel and the war in Gaza. The documentary investigates the polarizing debate over free speech, antisemitism, Israel and the Palestinians, and the political forces behind the crisis.
Filmed over 34 years, two families struggle to survive in a changing American economy; through hard times, falling wages and loss of manufacturing jobs, the continuation of Bill Moyers' chronicle of perseverance as the American dream slips away.
Inside the rise of far-right extremism in Germany; tracing the increasing threat to democracy from the far right, and its connections to extremist ideas and plots, with accounts from intelligence officials, politicians and the far right itself.
A look at President Joe Biden's rise to the presidency, the personal and political forces that shaped him and his historic decision to step out of the 2024 presidential race.
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press examine allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea’s historic foreign adoption boom. The documentary investigates cases of falsified records and identities among the adoptions of 200,000 children to the U.S. and other countries over decades.
FRONTLINE investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America.
FRONTLINE investigates the lives and views of Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz as they run for vice president. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal the influences and ideas they would bring to the White House
FRONTLINE documents harrowing accounts from those who experienced the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the ongoing war in Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians directly impacted by the conflict talk about death, despair and the continuing trauma.
In American Voices 2024, FRONTLINE follows the changing views and experiences of Americans from the 2020 election season to the present day. The documentary returns to voters first featured in 2020’s American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil as they dealt with COVID-19 in their communities that spring, responded to George Floyd’s killing that summer, and experienced the polarizing election and its aftermath that fall. American Voices 2024 chronicles how their hopes and fears have changed over the past four years — and amid another polarizing election season.
FRONTLINE examines the rise of Xi Jinping, his vision for China and the global implications. Correspondent Martin Smith traces the defining moments for President Xi, how he’s exercising power and his impact on China, and relations with the U.S. and the world.
FRONTLINE, the Portland Press Herald and Maine Public investigate the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history and the missed opportunities to prevent it. The documentary examines breakdowns with police, military and mental health care in the lead-up to the Lewiston shooting in October 2023.
FRONTLINE investigates the deadliest American wildfire in a century, and the missed warnings that made it so unstoppable. The documentary examines the fire’s causes, the chaotic response, and how changes to the climate and landscape have made Maui increasingly vulnerable to fires.
FRONTLINE traces Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, overcoming unprecedented obstacles and opposition. With insider interviews, the documentary examines defining moments over his life and career, his 2020 election loss, felony convictions and his historic comeback.
Investigating China’s rule over Tibet. With footage from inside the region, FRONTLINE examines how the Communist regime controls Tibet’s Buddhist population, and the battle over the succession of its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
It was a hot summer morning in St. Louis when John Johnson got the news in his doorway: His daughter was dead. LaVena was 19, a former honor student, and a freshly deployed soldier in Iraq. Devastated, her father asked the Army how she died. The answer that came back stunned him: 'Self-inflicted gunshot wound.' Johnson couldn't believe it; not his little girl. For the past five years, Johnson has waged an all-out war against the Pentagon to disprove the Army's suicide finding.
As part of the examination of child abuse, this program features a panel that discusses the controversial psychological and legal issues of the events in Edenton, North Carolina, including the reliability of children's testimony.
At 16, Tearah, who suffers from mental illness, remains stuck in a hospital month after month, as her mother struggles to navigate America’s mental health care system. As Shayna, a single parent of three girls, fights to get Tearah residential treatment, she faces the possibility of losing her home and even custody of her daughter.
Three health workers risk their lives to battle Ebola in a war zone. FRONTLINE reports from inside the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever in a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo devastated by decades of conflict.
What is it like to give birth — and then be forced to say goodbye to your baby 24 hours later? This documentary short from FRONTLINE and The Marshall Project, offers a powerful and unforgettable window into the lives of incarcerated pregnant women — and what happens to their newborns.
Tens of thousands of children currently live in parts of Iraq and Syria that ISIS controls. The group is actively recruiting some of them to be its next generation of fighters. Boys who went through its training describe the coercive methods ISIS uses to indoctrinate children to encourage unquestioning loyalty and obedience, as it prepares them to fight.
Yemen is home to what the United Nations recently called the “largest humanitarian crisis” in the world. Access inside the country for foreign journalists has been rare — but FRONTLINE’s Martin Smith made it in.
FRONTLINE tells the story of Alonza Thomas -- sent to adult prison in California at the age of 16 -- and how spending more than a decade behind bars impacted him.
With Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court days before the 2020 presidential election, Sen. Mitch McConnell solidified the conservative majority he had been seeking for decades. FRONTLINE tells the inside story of McConnell’s hard-fought effort to transform the nation’s highest court in “Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Court,” an updated version of our 2019 film.
