FRONTLINE celebrates 40 years
On January 17, 1983, FRONTLINE PBS made its broadcast debut. The pilot, “AN UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY OF THE NFL,“ was an expose on the connections between the league, sports gambling, and organized crime. In the 40 years since, FRONTLINE has produced nearly 800 investigative documentaries, covering genocide, climate change, war, the trials of six U.S. presidencies, and much more.
Much like today, the 1980s was a time of rapid, fundamental changes in the environment of mass media. CNN debuted as the world’s first 24-hour news channel in 1980. Rupert Murdoch created FOX Television Network in 1985 - the first nationwide network to be created in the US in 30 years. In 1984, a little-known Oprah Winfrey began hosting A.M. Chicago, and would soon help to drastically change the format of daytime television and further blur the line between news and entertainment.
In this quickly evolving media landscape, FRONTLINE strove to continue the long-established mission of broadcast news:
Excellence in reporting. Innovative storytelling. Commitment to the public interest. These are also the values that the duPont Jury looks for each year - values that FRONTLINE has consistently exemplified since its inception, earning the organization every major broadcast award, including 38 duPont-Columbia Awards.
Within two years of its founding, FRONTLINE won a Silver Baton in 1985 for “Mind of a Murderer,”a chilling look into the psyche of a serial killer - and the investigation into his sanity.
Since then, FRONTLINE has been a mainstay of the duPont-Columbia Awards ceremony, winning Batons for coverage of the potential crimes of U.S. presidents, the waning years of the Soviet Union, Western complicity in the Rwandan Genocide, the dangerous potential of Facebook, and, most recently, the harrowing impact of the Syrian Civil War.
Additionally, the duPont-Columbia Awards has awarded two Gold Batons - the Awards’ highest honor, often not awarded more than once in a decade - to FRONTLINE: one in 2003 for a seven-hour series on terrorism, and one in 2019 for eight programs covering violence in Myanmar, the hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the rise of Vladimir Putin, and more.
The duPont-Columbia Awards looks forward to 40 more years of outstanding reporting from FRONTLINE. Congratulations to all those who have contributed to the organization’s success and longevity.
Take a look through our archives for more FRONTLINE winners and clips.