Frontline (US TV series)

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For the satirical Australian series of the same name, see Frontline (Australian television series).

FRONTLINE

Genre	documentary television series
Creator(s)	David Fanning
Starring	Jessica Savitch (1983) Judy Woodruff (1984-1990) Will Lyman (1983-present)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	476 (as of January 2006) (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	60 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS
Original run	January 17, 1983 – present

FRONTLINE is a public affairs television program of varying length produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, and distributed through the Public Broadcasting Service network in the United States. The program has been on the air since 1983, and is highly respected for producing in-depth documentaries about various subjects, leading to numerous awards. Some programs are made by independent filmmakers and broadcast as part of the FRONTLINE series. Since the series debut, there have been more than 480 films broadcast.

Every four years, the FRONTLINE runs a special profiling the top contenders for the position of President of the United States. The most recent of these was The Choice 2004, a dual biography tracing the lives and careers of John Kerry and George W. Bush.

Most FRONTLINE reports are an hour in length, but some are extended to 90 minutes or beyond. FRONTLINE also does occasional specials like From Jesus to Christ, The Farmer's Wife, and Country Boys.

Since 1995, FRONTLINE has been producing deep-content, companion web sites for all of its documentaries. The series publishes extended interview transcripts, in-depth chronologies, original essays, sidebar stories, related links and readings, and source documents including photographs and background research. FRONTLINE has made many of its documentaries (59, as of February 2007) available via streaming Internet video, from their website.

Will Lyman is the distinctive voice who has narrated the series since its inception in 1983.

1 FRONTLINE/World
2 Awards and results
3 Recent reports
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] FRONTLINE/World

FRONTLINE/World is a spinoff series that first aired on May 23, 2002. It focuses on issues from around the globe, and uses a "magazine" format, where each episode typically has three stories that run about 15 to 20 minutes in length. Its tagline is: stories from a small planet. FRONTLINE/World also streams stories on its website.

[edit] Awards and results

Other FRONTLINE reports focus on political, social, and criminal justice issues. Ofra Bikel, who has been a producer for FRONTLINE since the first season, has produced a significant number of films on the criminal justice system in the United States. The films have focused on issues ranging from post-conviction DNA testing, the use of drug snitches and mandatory minimum sentencing laws, the plea system, and the use of eye-witness testimony. As a result of the films, 13 people have been released from prison.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the White House requested a copy of "Hunting Bin Laden." In 1999, FRONTLINE had produced this in-depth report about Osama bin Laden and the terrorist network that would come to be known as al Qaeda in the wake of the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. Following the September 11 attacks, FRONTLINE produced a series of films about al Qaeda and the war on terror. In 2002, the series was awarded the DuPont-Columbia gold baton for the seven films.

In 2003, FRONTLINE and the New York Times joined forces on "A Dangerous Business" an investigation into the cast iron pipe making industry and worker safety. OSHA officials credit the documentary and newspaper report with stimulating federal policy change on workplace safety. In 2004, the joint investigation was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

[edit] Recent reports

See also: Full chronological list on PBS/Frontline site and List of Frontline (PBS) episodes.

The Lost Year in Iraq – An examination of the US plans for post war Iraq focusing on the initial decisions to the roles of the inexperienced personnel selected to implement those plans and how those decisions have led to the current situation.
The Enemy Within– After 9/11, an FBI informed claimed the Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri had visited Lodi, California and had ties to two clerics at a local mosque. Five years later Frontline investigates the case against the clerics and why, in the name of national security, those claims may have been exaggerated.
Return of the Taliban – The US may have routed the Taliban and Al Qaeda from Afghanistan but may have only succeeded in relocating them to parts of Pakistan where the US has no reach.
Give War a Chance – Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Leighton Smith reflect a divided generation's view on the use of America's military might.
The Dark Side – Post 9/11 Vice President Cheney initiated an expansion of executive power, took on George Tenet's CIA for control over intelligence and brought the war on terror to Iraq.
The Age of AIDS – The history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The Insurgency – An investigation into the people who are fighting against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.
The Meth Epidemic – Examines the devastating effects of meth and why it is the fastest growing drug abused in America today.
Sex Slaves – Delves into the worldwide trafficking of sex slaves and government indifference towards the matter.
Country Boys [1] – Special three-part episode chronicling the lives of two boys growing up in rural Appalachia as they struggle to overcome hardship in one of the most impoverished regions in the United States. Directed by David Sutherland, producer of The Farmer's Wife.
The Storm – Examines the Hurricane Katrina response, including interviews with many key officials from all levels of government. Interview of note: a full-length interview with former FEMA director Michael D. Brown, his first since his post-Katrina resignation.
The Last Abortion Clinic – The ongoing and incremental legal challenges to abortion by pro-life groups.
The Torture Question – Traces the history of how decisions made in Washington, D.C. in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11 – including an internal administration battle over the Geneva Conventions – led to a robust interrogation policy that laid the groundwork for prisoner abuse in Afghanistan; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; and Iraq
Beyond Baghdad 2004 report of a visit by Frontline correspondent Martin Smith from the Iraq-Turkish border, to central Iraq.
Death of a Princess – 25th anniversary rebroadcast of an extremely controversial 1980 docudrama about a young Saudi princess and her lover who had been publicly executed for adultery. (synopsis)
The New Asylums – "Frontline" goes deep inside the Ohio state prison system to explore the complex and growing issue of mentally ill prisoners.
Israel's Next War? – On extremist Jewish militant groups, their ideology, and their opposition to the Gaza pullout plan. (synopsis)
The Soldier's Heart – The psychological costs of war through the eyes of some Iraqi veterans and a look on how the military deals with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
A Company of Soldiers – The raw daily reality of occupying Iraq.
House of Saud – History of the Saudi government and its impact on world events.
Al Qaeda's New Front – Europe under terrorist threat.
Secret History of the Credit Card – Reading the fine print on the credit card industry.
Is Wal-Mart Good for America? – Good prices at America's expense.
The Persuaders – The science that goes into the pervasive advertising of products and politics.
Rumsfeld's War – The conflict between Donald Rumsfeld and top military officials at the Pentagon as he tried asserting civilian control over military strategy and changing the structure of the military after the Bush administration came to power.
The Choice 2004 – A two-hour biography of both candidates running for President in 2004.
The Tank Man; About the young man who stood in front of three Tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in 2006