FRONTLINE

News and Public Affairs Series / 31 Seasons

FRONTLINE explores and illuminates the critical issues of our times - from business and health to social issues, politics and war.

Watch Latest: S2024 E14

1h 26m

Cyril Wecht: The Interview Excerpts

3m 19s

The well-known forensic pathologist and spokesman for ACFEI, a large certification organization, discusses the controversy surrounding the company with FRONTLINE. How stringent are ACFEI's forensic credentialing standards?

The Fingerprint Examiner's Achilles Heel

3m 53s

Can knowing the details of a crime alter the matchmaking process? Yes, says neuroscientist Itiel Dror. It's called cognitive bias, and it can happen to even the most competent expert.

The Real CSI Preview

30s

From the courtroom to the living room (thanks to the hit television series CSI), forensic science is king. But how reliable is the science behind forensics? In "The Real CSI" coming April 17, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman finds serious flaws in some of the best-known tools of forensic science and wide inconsistencies in how forensic evidence is presented in the courtroom.

"Finally Justice Was Served"

55s

Shirley Ree Smith tells correspondent A.C. Thompson her reaction when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned her conviction on charges that she killed her grandson by shaking him to death. "They saw the facts and went on the facts, which no one else did," she says.

"It's a Good Thing"

1m 19s

Shirley Ree Smith reacts to new doubts from the coroner's office on her conviction. "I wouldn't even be in this predicament if he was here 15 years ago, 16 years ago," she says. "I wouldn't be going through this." For a pathologist to question [the cause of death], to say it's undetermined -- that's something people should think about."

"Free, But Not Really Free"

1m 19s

Fifteen years ago, Shirley Ree Smith was convicted of shaking her grandson to death, but the facts were murky and she always maintained she's innocent. Her conviction was overturned, but then reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court. She tells FRONTLINE correspondent A.C. Thompson what it's like to live in legal limbo.

Murdoch's Scandal Preview

32s

In "Murdoch's Scandal," a joint production with the CBC airing March 27, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman tells the story of the battle over the future of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's reputation and his family's fortunes.

Sneak Peek: Murdoch's Scandal

1m 30s

How did the owner of the Fox Network, The Wall Street Journal and a worldwide media empire come to be hounded by the press -and haunted by the death of a teenager? Tonight: FRONTLINE goes inside theNews of the World phone-hacking scandal

Getting "Monstered" By the Murdoch Tabloids

4m 33s

In 2003, British Member of Parliament Chris Bryantbegan investigating whether News International tabloids paid off police. Six months later, he found his private life splashed in the headlines. "They hacked my phone," Bryant tells FRONTLINE, "and they ran some pretty hideous stories about my sexuality."

Dropout Nation: Life at Sharpstown High

3m 19s

Brandi Brevard, a campus improvement coordinator, helps a student get to school on time. FRONTLINE is following a group of at-risk students in Houston, Texas, who are struggling to stay in school -- and the school administrators who are working against the odds to keep them there.

The Free World

1m 30s

Thoughts on freedom - and another impending trial - from Ernie Lopez. A Texas court recently threw out his 2003 conviction of sexually assaulting 6-month-old Isis Vas, who later died, though the district attorney has chosen to try Lopez again for the crime. Joint reporting from FRONTLINE, ProPublica and NPR in "The Child Cases" raised questions about the evidence used against him.

Ernie Lopez, Released

1m 47s

"You hear the door open and they say, 'Lopez. You're going home.'" Ernie Lopez walks out of prison to greet family, friends and reporters after a Texas court threw out his 2003 conviction of sexually assaulting 6-month-old Isis Vas. Joint reporting from FRONTLINE, ProPublica and NPR in "The Child Cases" raised questions about the evidence used against him.

Ernie Lopez Arrives Home

2m 15s

After almost a decade behind bars, Ernie Lopez arrives at his home in Texas. He briefly celebrates missed holidays before breaking down remembering Isis Vas, the 6-month-old who died in his care. Lopez's conviction of sexually assaulting Vas was recently thrown out by a Texas court. Joint reporting from FRONTLINE, ProPublica and NPR raised questions about the evidence used against him.

"We did it. We did it for everyone."

2m 54s

Japanese helicopter pilot Yoshiyuki Yamaoka describes dumping thousands of gallons of water on the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, a dangerous mission he embarked on last March.

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