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.
This work matters. At a time when deep-dive reporting is more vital than ever, your support ensures FRONTLINE can continue to hold power accountable. Join our community of supporters here by making a contribution to keep this work going.
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.
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
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.
Transcribe →
The Rise of RFK Jr., Part 1: From Hickory Hill to Heartache
Dec 800:37:11Tap to summarizeHow did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. evolve from Democratic political heir to MAGA-aligned power player? Host Raney Aronson-Rath and filmmaker Michael Kirk trace his path from Hickory Hill to the Trump administration and introduce FRONTLINE’s serialized audio adaptation of The Rise of RFK Jr.
Transcribe →
Inside Germany’s Far-Right Surge
Nov 2600:25:26Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, host Raney Aronson-Rath speaks with longtime FRONTLINE correspondent Evan Williams, director of The Rise of Germany’s New Right. Together, they unpack how the hardline Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has surged in popularity, drawing young voters on TikTok, capitalizing on economic anxiety, and reframing nationalism for a new generation.
Transcribe →
Born Poor: A 14-Year Journey into Childhood Poverty and its Consequences
Oct 1600:32:50Tap to summarizeWhat happens when you grow up poor in America—and stay in touch with the same filmmaker for more than a decade? FRONTLINE filmmaker Jezza Neumann and documentary participant Kaylie Hegwood reflect on “Born Poor,” a film following three children, including Kaylie, from their lives as “Poor Kids” into young adulthood. Fourteen years after filming began, Neumann and Hegwood discuss poverty, perseverance, and what it really takes to break the cycle. Produced by Joel Patterson. Hosted by Raney Aronson-Rath.Watch the full documentary, Born Poor, on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel and PBS.org.Want to be notified every time a new podcast episode drops? Sign up for The FRONTLINE Dispatch newsletter.
Transcribe →
'Unprepared, Part Two: There is No Plan’ (from NPR’s Up First)
Jun 14, 202500:26:33Tap to summarizeFrom 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.
Transcribe →
‘Unprepared, Part One: Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning’ (from NPR’s Up First)
Jun 14, 202500:24:10Tap to summarizeFrom 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.
Transcribe →
After Hurricane Helene, Are We Ready for the Next Big Storm?
Jun 6, 202500:22:03Tap to summarizeLast 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.
Transcribe →Inside a White Supremacist Network That Encouraged Members to Kill
Apr 10, 202500:27:52Tap to summarizeFor 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.
Transcribe →
The Transparency Project: Carol Moseley Braun
Sep 15, 2020Tap to summarizeAs part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, all this week we’re publishing key interviews conducted as part of the reporting for The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden, a two-hour documentary special about the major-party political candidates. The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden airs on PBS and online Tuesday, September 22nd. Read more about Frontline’s Transparency Project at frontline.org. In this episode, Carol Moseley Braun is interviewed by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore. Carol Moseley Braun is a Democrat from Illinois who was the first African American woman Senator. She served on the Senate Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Joe Biden. Carol Moseley Braun shares her thoughts on Joe Biden’s career in public service, including his record on racism and sexism.
Transcribe →