For Release: Jan. 29, 2007
In more than 80 interviews with key figures in the print, broadcast and electronic media, and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today's most important news organizations, Frontline correspondent Lowell Bergman examines the challenges facing the mainstream news media in " News War , " a four-part special, airing Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 13 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET2 and Mondays, beginning Feb. 19 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET1.
In the first hour of the series, titled "Secrets, Sources & Spin , " Bergman talks to the major players in the debates over the role of media in U.S. society. Bergman examines the relationship between the Bush administration and the press, the use of anonymous sources and the consequences of the Valerie Plame leak investigation.
In part two of "Secrects, Sources & Spin , " Bergman interviews journalists facing jail for refusing to reveal their sources. In 2004, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams made national headlines exposing steroid abuse in professional baseball. In 2006, the Justice Department authorized subpoenas that would compel the reporters to appear in court and to identify the source of the leak. To date, the reporters have fought the subpoenas.
This Frontline series continues by examining the mounting pressure for profits faced by America's network news divisions and daily newspapers, as well as growing challenges from cable television and the Internet. Bergman talks to network executives, newspaper editors and publishers, bloggers, Wall Street analysts and key players at Google and Yahoo! about the battle for market dominance in a rapidly changing world.
"News War" concludes with a look at media around the globe to reveal the international forces that influence journalism and politics in the United States. Focusing on Al Jazeera and its impact on the tightly controlled Arab media, this report explores the network's growing influence, from Muslim communities in Europe to the pending launch of a new English-language broadcast in the United States.
Frontline "News War" is produced by WGBH/Boston in association with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.