Podcast
The FRONTLINE Dispatch
Hosted by GBH · EN
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.
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Produced by Joel Patterson at FRONTLINE’s headquarters at GBH and powered by PRX.
The FRONTLINE Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation Journalism Initiative.
18episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Inside Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
2w ago00:19:49Tap to summarizeFRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate the treatment of protesters and bystanders during the Trump administration’s recent immigration sweeps.
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“Silence Is Not an Option”
Apr 3000:21:58Tap to summarizeSomething to ponder in connection with World Press Freedom Day: If you faced serious punishment for doing your job, would you quit and look for a new one? Or would you continue pursuing your chosen calling?Releasing in the leadup to World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2026, this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch revisits the reporting at the center of the film The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador, and explores the risks facing independent journalists.Among them: The team at the Salvadoran news outlet El Faro, whose work anchors the documentary. In conversation with FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath, El Faro Editor-in-Chief Carlos Dada reflects on the outlet’s investigation that exposed evidence of negotiations between President Nayib Bukele’s government and gang leaders — and that drew intense backlash.Dada, now working in exile like much of El Faro’s staff, describes the escalating pressure on his newsroom: accusations from Bukele, surveillance using Pegasus spyware, and sustained harassment of reporters. Despite those challenges, Dada frames the decision to keep reporting as a mission and a mantra: “Silence is not an option.”The conversation also explores the broader stakes of the film’s reporting — from the history and evolution of gangs like MS-13 to the consequences of Bukele’s sweeping security policies, including mass incarceration under a prolonged state of emergency.For Dada, the story is not only about his home country, but about the pressure journalists worldwide are under. As governments consolidate power and restrict access to information, he argues, independent reporting becomes both more difficult and more essential — offering verified facts in the face of propaganda and ensuring the public can still scrutinize those in power.The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador is available to stream now on FRONTLINE’s website, FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, the PBS App and PBS Documentaries on Prime.
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The Unanswered Questions After Strikes on Iran
Apr 300:20:18Tap to summarizeAs the war with Iran intensifies, key questions remain unanswered about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, especially for the man tasked with monitoring them. A conversation with filmmaker and correspondent Sebastian Walker about his recent interview with Rafael Grossi, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Grossi says inspectors no longer have visibility into Iran’s nuclear program.
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From the Archives: Jesse Jackson on the Rise of Barack Obama
Mar 2001:04:12Tap to summarizeIn an extended interview from 2008 that we’ve released for the first time, the Rev. Jesse Jackson offered a firsthand account of the political and cultural forces that shaped Barack Obama’s rise.
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The Escalating War With Iran
Mar 600:25:23Tap to summarizeFilmmakers James Jacoby and Sebastian Walker discuss the dramatic escalation of the conflict between the U.S. and Israel and Iran, and the implications for the region.
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Investigating Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
Feb 600:33:48Tap to summarizeA recent FRONTLINE documentary investigates the aftermath of the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran's nuclear program. In this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, the filmmakers discuss combining on-the-ground reporting with cutting-edge visual forensics to understand the precision of the strikes, the civilian toll and the status of Iran's nuclear expertise.
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Inside the Making of “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Jan 1600:31:13Tap to summarizeA Ukrainian battalion fights to reach and reclaim a Russian-held village in 2000 Meters to Andriivka, the new documentary from the Oscar-winning team behind 20 Days in Mariupol. Host and filmmaker Raney Aronson-Rath speaks with filmmakers Mstyslav Chernov and Michelle Mizner about this unflinching, intimate portrait of modern warfare and the human cost of every advance.
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The Rise of RFK Jr., Part 4: From Protest to Power
Dec 1900:26:21Tap to summarizeRFK Jr. ascends to the top ranks of government. Raney Aronson-Rath and filmmaker Michael Kirk examine his alliance with President Donald Trump, his rise to Secretary of Health and Human Services, and his efforts to turn his long-held beliefs into federal policy—concluding FRONTLINE’s serialized adaptation of The Rise of RFK Jr.
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The Rise of RFK Jr., Part 3: A Movement Finds Its Moment
Dec 1500:44:41Tap to summarizeAs COVID-19 upends daily life, RFK Jr. emerges as a leading voice of dissent. Continuing FRONTLINE’s serialized audio adaptation of The Rise of RFK Jr., Raney Aronson-Rath and filmmaker Michael Kirk examine how the pandemic unified his beliefs, expanded his audience, and propelled him from the fringes into the national spotlight.
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The Rise of RFK Jr., Part 2: Public Purpose, Private Turmoil
Dec 1100:40:06Tap to summarizeRFK Jr. emerges from a turbulent adolescence determined to reclaim his legacy. Raney Aronson-Rath and filmmaker Michael Kirk trace his rise as an environmental advocate—and the private contradictions that complicated his public mission—continuing FRONTLINE’s serialized audio adaptation of The Rise of RFK Jr.
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