FRONTLINE

News and Public Affairs Series / 32 Seasons

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

Watch Latest: S2025 E3

1h 24m

"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.

Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown - Preview

31s

FRONTLINE continues its investigation of nuclear safety with an unprecedented account of the crisis inside the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex after a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011. In "Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown," FRONTLINE tells the full story with exclusive eye-witness accounts from the people who were there.

"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.

"The Fate of Japan Hangs in the Balance"

3m 27s

When things got particularly dangerous at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last March, controversy ensued about whether the Tokyo Electric Power Company intended to withdraw all its workers, leaving the plant unmanned. Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan describes his decision to address TEPCO employees, demanding that they stay and protect the fate plant - and the country.

The Interrupters (Graphic Language)

1h 54m / TV-MA

From acclaimed producer-director Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") and best-selling author-turned-producer Alex Kotlowitz ("There Are No Children Here"), an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities.

The Interrupters Preview

2m 28s

FRONTLINE follows a group of former gang leaders trying to "interrupt" shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once committed. The film follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings, including weekly meetings where the interrupters report on the simmering disputes and the senseless shootings in their neighborhoods.

CeaseFire's Youngest "Crusader for Peace"

28s

Not long after Cobe began to work with Lil Mikey, who had just been released from prison, Lil Mikey found a new calling as an outreach worker for CeaseFire. Just 18 years old at the time, he was their youngest employee to date. Here, he discusses the job opportunity.

Cobe's Family

2m 35s

Cobe started to follow in the footsteps of his father, selling drugs and going to jail, and reflects here about how his grandmother's love helped turn his life around. "I probably have broken her heart a lot of times doing things I shouldn't be doing," he admits about his grandmother. "But she always reminds me of the good in me."

"The Interrupters": Collective Responsibility for Violence

8m 53s

This special educational module introduces Ameena Matthews, former drug ring enforcer and daughter of one of Chicago's most notorious gang leaders, who uses her unique skills as a violence interrupter to de-escalate conflicts before they turn to bloodshed. Explore the role gender plays in engaging communities and changing social norms around peace and violence.

Grieving for Derrion Albert

3m 34s

The murder of 16-year-old honors student Derrion Albert -- who was the victim of a violent confrontation between rival gangs in September 2009 -- was captured in a cell phone video that went viral, drawing attention to the nation's youth violence problem. In this excerpt from "The Interrupters," CeaseFire's Ameena Matthews helps Derrion's mother Anjanette Albert plan his funeral and vigil.

"The Interrupters": Ameena and Caprysha

9m 5s

This special educational module explores the relationship between Ameena Matthews and Caprysha Anderson, a troubled teen who is struggling with violence both as a victim and a perpetrator. Ameena faces challenges as she helps Caprysha follow the right path.

When Interrupters Return to Criminal Activity

1m 19s

Upset after learning from police that some of the interrupters are still involved in criminal activity, program director Tio Hardiman warns that they could be ruining the program for everyone else. "I'm not saying this job is everything," he cautions, "but this job does mean a lot to some people."

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