The FRONTLINE Dispatch

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EVERY TWO MONTHS

FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath sits down with journalists and filmmakers for probing conversations about the investigative journalism that drives each FRONTLINE documentary and the stories that shape our time. Produced at FRONTLINE’s headquarters at GBH and powered by PRX. The FRONTLINE Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation Journalism Initiative.

14 JUN

'Unprepared, Part Two: There is No Plan’ (from NPR’s Up First)

From The Sunday Story on NPR’s Up First, hosted by Ayesha Rascoe. As North Carolina struggles to build back after Hurricane Helene, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan travels to New York and New Jersey years after Superstorm Sandy to find how recovery efforts fell short. And we learn special interests are shaping how we put communities back together. This episode was produced by Graham Smith and Andrew Mambo. It was edited by Jenny Schmidt and Robert Little. Kwesi Lee mastered the episode. This series was co-reported with NPR and FRONTLINE, Jonathan Schienberg, Kate McCormick, Dana Ervin, Lauren Ezell Kinlaw and Refael Kubersky. You can watch Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, and the PBS App.

27 min
14 JUN

‘Unprepared, Part One: Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning’ (from NPR’s Up First)

From The Sunday Story on NPR’s Up First, hosted by Ayesha Rascoe. NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan examines how the nation is failing to rebuild after major storms in a way that will protect them from the next one. As climate-related storms become more frequent and severe, NPR and FRONTLINE investigate the forces keeping communities from building resiliently, and the special interests that profit when communities don’t. Despite billions in federal aid, outdated policies, weak building codes, and political resistance are putting lives and homes at continued risk. This episode was produced by Graham Smith and Andrew Mambo. It was edited by Jenny Schmidt and Robert Little. Kwesi Lee mastered the episode. This series was co-reported with NPR and FRONTLINE, Jonathan Schienberg, Kate McCormick, Dana Ervin, Lauren Ezell Kinlaw and Refael Kubersky. You can watch the documentary Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, and the PBS App.

24 min
6 JUN

After Hurricane Helene, Are We Ready for the Next Big Storm?

Last fall, Hurricane Helene tore through multiple states, leaving millions without power, billions of dollars in damage, and more than 200 people dead. In the days that followed, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan and a team from FRONTLINE began reporting on the ground in Western North Carolina, one of the hardest-hit areas — despite being inland and elevated far above sea level. Over the course of several months, the team documented the community’s early attempts to recover and debates around how to build back. Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning is the latest in a series of films from FRONTLINE and NPR on storms and their aftermath. Drawing on more than a decade of collaborative reporting, the documentary examines the difficult choices facing communities impacted by disasters, and the country’s growing vulnerability to climate-fueled storms. Sullivan and the film’s director, Jonathan Schienberg, join FRONTLINE executive producer and editor-in-chief Raney Aronson-Rath to talk about what they saw in North Carolina, why they returned to the sites of earlier storms, including Houston and New York, and the tensions surrounding efforts to rebuild. Sullivan’s reporting pointed her to what she calls “the overall” questions on disaster response: “Why after 20 years since Katrina, are we still standing in these devastated places wondering how did this happen? And how did it happen here? And why are so many people dead? And that's when we started asking, is there a way to do this differently?” You can watch Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, and the PBS App. Want to be notified every time a new podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.

22 min
10 APR

Inside a White Supremacist Network That Encouraged Members to Kill

For more than a year, FRONTLINE and ProPublica have been investigating a global network of far-right extremists known as the Terrorgram Collective. The recent documentary The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram explores how this white supremacist network grew on anonymous, loosely-moderated platforms — and the violent consequences. Reporters A.C. Thompson and James Bandler join The FRONTLINE Dispatch to talk about the ideas and rhetoric they found inside Terrorgram, and how they uncovered connections between the group and a deadly terror attack at an LGBTQ+ bar in Bratislava, Slovakia, that killed two people. “You can find hate speech on most internet spaces,” A.C. Thompson told host Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE. “What was different about […] this Terrogram community that colonized Telegram for about five years is it wasn't just about speech. It was about actionable material.” You can stream The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram, directed by Thomas Jennings and Annie Wong, on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube Channel, or the PBS App.

28 min
21 FEB

Life in Tibet and What Comes Next

After 75 years of Chinese Communist Party rule in Tibet, and as Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, approaches his 90th birthday, Tibet is at a critical juncture. FRONTLINE’s documentary Battle For Tibet goes inside the long-running struggle over the future of the mountainous region. Award-winning producer and director Gesbeen Mohammad joins The FRONTLINE Dispatch to discuss what the film reveals about life in Tibet now, and the uncertain future for Tibetan Buddhism, language and culture. Drawing on undercover footage, interviews with Tibet and China experts, Chinese government statements, and accounts from Tibetans now living in exile, Battle For Tibet examines the Chinese government’s tight control over the territory, including its system of boarding schools and a vast network of surveillance inside places like monasteries. “Tibet is one of the world's most tightly guarded regions,” Mohammad told Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE’s editor-in-chief and executive producer. “So it felt like an important area to examine…particularly as there are various allegations that some of the policies are infringing on Tibetan’s religion and unique culture.” You can stream Battle For Tibet on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, or the PBS App. Want to be notified every time a new podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.

18 min
17 JAN

Martin Smith on China Under Xi

Longtime FRONTLINE correspondent and director Martin Smith returns to talk about his latest documentary, China, the U.S. &the Rise of Xi Jinping. With President Trump vowing larger tariffs in his second term, the documentary examines China’s rise to economic prominence, the life and vision of its longstanding leader, and rising tensions with the United States over issues such as trade and the future of Taiwan. Smith sat down with FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath to talk about the challenges of making the documentary — including not being able to film inside China — and why he chose to focus on the life and career of President Xi. “He's the leader of our chief global rival, and I think a lot about him is not understood,” Smith told Aronson-Rath. “We thought it was important for people to understand who he is, where he came from, what made him into the man he is.” You can watch China, the U.S. & the Rise of Xi Jinping, from the award-winning team of Smith, producer and director Marcela Gaviria and producer Brian Funck, on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel and the PBS App. Want to be notified every time a new podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.

24 min
31/12/2024

'Breakdown' Episode 6: 'I think there's hope'

The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents: Breakdown (from Maine Public Radio, The Portland Press Herald, and FRONTLINE). In the aftermath of Lewiston, healing and recovery is taking many forms. One shooting location was renovated and reopened. Another has become a nonprofit that serves some of the area’s most vulnerable residents. One victim’s father now advocates for increased gun control while dozens of others have joined a lawsuit against the federal government. And the shooter’s sister has made it her mission to raise awareness about traumatic brain injury among military service members. In our final episode of “Breakdown,” we look at how some have turned their anguish into action. To hear the previous episodes in the series, subscribe to Breakdown: Turning Anguish Into Action on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

37 min
27/12/2024

'Breakdown' Episode 5: 'We're still here'

The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents: Breakdown (from Maine Public Radio, The Portland Press Herald, and FRONTLINE). Four members of Maine's deaf community died in Lewiston in October 2023 in what is believed to be the deadliest mass shooting of deaf people in the U.S. The pain of that loss was magnified by the barriers to communication and information deaf survivors and loved ones faced in the immediate aftermath. Episode 5 examines the outsize impact of the Lewiston shooting on those who are deaf and hard of hearing, how the community often feels forgotten and why the tragedy has become a catalyst for equity. To hear the rest of the series, subscribe to Breakdown: Turning Anguish Into Action on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or stay tuned for more episodes on The FRONTLINE Dispatch.

31 min

See All (127)

FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath sits down with journalists and filmmakers for probing conversations about the investigative journalism that drives each FRONTLINE documentary and the stories that shape our time. Produced at FRONTLINE’s headquarters at GBH and powered by PRX. The FRONTLINE Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation Journalism Initiative.