Local Journalism Initiative
PARTNER INVESTIGATIONS
After George Floyd
The killing of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis sparked a nationwide reckoning on racism in America — and renewed calls for change. FRONTLINE partners with award-winning Star Tribune reporters as they cover the aftermath of Floyd’s death, Chauvin’s trial and the impact on both the city’s police and communities of color.
Breakdown: Investigating Maine's deadliest shooting
In October 2023, a local Army Reservist opened fire inside two family businesses in Lewiston, a small city north of Portland. Within minutes, 18 were killed and 13 wounded – and the largely pro-gun state was left reeling. The Portland Press Herald and Maine Public examine the failures and aftermath in collaboration with FRONTLINE, including…
COVID-19 in America
The latest from our local journalism partners on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting communities across the U.S.
Dairyland in Distress
For years, Loyal, a city in the heart of Wisconsin's dairy country, has been struggling with an ailing farm economy. Then COVID-19 hit the state. A collaboration between Milwaukee PBS and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Fractured
The mental health care system in North Carolina has been failing for years. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than those who get caught up in the criminal justice system, out of sight, therefore out of mind for the general public and policymakers. But their plight — and the brokenness of the mental health system…
Groundwater War
New Mexico PBS' investigation into PFAS contamination at military installations in the state and its impact on groundwater.
Poisoned
Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. The Tampa Bay Times investigates the profound consequences. Part 1: The Factory | Part 2: The Failings | Part 3: The Fallout This investigation, carried out with support from FRONTLINE's Local Journalism Initiative, won a George Polk Award, a Pulitzer Prize…
Rural Health Care: The Other Texas Drought
Rural communities in the Texas Panhandle have struggled to keep up in the fight against the coronavirus. The Texas Newsroom examines the shortage of health care resources people living in those communities face.
South Carolina’s Rural Voters
What matters most to rural voters in South Carolina this election year? The Post and Courier, in collaboration with Report for America, examines the issues that are top of mind for small town voters.
Sugar Land
In 2018, a few months into building a new school in Sugar Land, Texas, construction crews uncovered 95 unmarked graves — evidence of a particularly dark period in our country’s history. The Texas Newsroom explores who these 95 people were and what happened to them in the podcast “Sugar Land.”
Texas Border Crackdown
Immigration is one of the country’s most divisive political issues. The Texas Tribune investigates Texas' unprecedented militarization of the 1254-mile Texas-Mexico border, separating reality from political rhetoric.
The Disconnect
In February 2021, days-long blackouts in Texas left millions shivering in the dark. Hundreds died. How has the Texas grid changed since then? And how has it changed how people think? KUT/KUTX Studios and The Texas Newsroom explore those questions in season two of “The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout.”
Uncovered
A first-of-its-kind effort to expose questionable government conduct and corruption throughout South Carolina. The Post and Courier has teamed with 17 community newspapers in this effort, which aims to strengthen accountability of taxpayer dollars and democracy in the Palmetto State.
Underage and Unprotected
A two-year investigation by The Public’s Radio reveals how some migrant teens end up working in risky jobs at seafood processing plants in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Underage and Unprotected examines the role of staffing agencies, which many teens said hired them and sent them to jobs at processors. The series also exposes weaknesses in the…
When Police Shoot
Police across Utah shot at 30 people two years ago. And then in 2020, the state tied that record. With no government entity collecting such data, The Salt Lake Tribune will expand its own data gathering on police shootings.
Youth Suicide in Colorado
Colorado has one of the country’s highest suicide rates, a crisis only deepened by the pandemic. Rocky Mountain PBS examines a statewide prevention effort and finds stories of healing and hope.
Our Partners
Latest Reporting from Our Partners
WATCH: Colorado Economy: Business Survival
Uncertainty about how long many businesses will be closed and the inability to plan for the future has many communities concerned about both short term and long-term economic stability.
Rocky Mountain PBS
April 2, 2020
Advocates Fear A Surge of Domestic Violence Is Happening In Colorado
Advocates who help survivors of domestic violence are preparing for an onslaught of need they cannot yet see, with many Coloradans stuck in abusive homes due to the coronavirus response.
Rocky Mountain PBS
April 2, 2020
At Risk From Coronavirus And Running Low on Food, Tampa Bay Seniors Get Help From Emergency Program
Feeding Tampa Bay, the region’s largest food rescue and distribution organization, is delivering 8,000 meals to about a dozen senior communities this week.
Tampa Bay Times
April 1, 2020
How Schools and Communities Are Providing Mental Health Support for Students When Schools Are Closed
School districts across Colorado are working to provide mental health support for their students even when their schools are closed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Rocky Mountain PBS
March 30, 2020
Foster Care Workers Fear Children Isolated By the Coronavirus Are More at Risk
Eyes on the child is a bedrock principle for foster care workers who routinely go into troubled homes to see that children are safe. But in the midst of the coronavirus, the safety of Florida’s most at-risk children is often being assessed through computer screens.
Tampa Bay Times
March 30, 2020
Tampa Sets Up Tent City So Homeless Can Shelter In Place
With a county-wide order for people to stay indoors now in effect, the city of Tampa is establishing a tent city that will allow up to 100 homeless people to shelter in place.
Tampa Bay Times
March 29, 2020
WATCH: The Grief of Losing Someone During a Coronavirus Quarantine
Losing someone during a quarantine makes grieving especially difficult.
Milwaukee PBS
March 27, 2020
WATCH: New Mexico Under Stay-at-Home Restriction
Gene Grant and The Line opinion panel discuss Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent statewide stay-at-home order and the edict that all non-essential businesses must close.
New Mexico PBS
March 27, 2020
Nursing Home Violations, and Now Deaths, Highlight COVID-19 Dangers
As nursing homes across Oklahoma lock down to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to their elderly residents, an Oklahoma Watch analysis found that infection control or prevention violations are common at nursing homes in the state, as they are nationwide.
Oklahoma Watch
March 26, 2020
Nonprofit Mobilizes to Replace Lost School Meals Across Tampa Bay Area
Feeding Tampa Bay has opened 17 drive-through feeding stations across Tampa Bay as up to two-thirds of students in Hillsborough miss out on free school meals.
Tampa Bay Times
March 25, 2020
WATCH: Living and Working in Milwaukee During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Stories of the personal impact of the coronavirus pandemic from the producers and hosts of Milwaukee PBS.
Milwaukee PBS
March 24, 2020
Florida Lagged Behind Dozens of States on Coronavirus Restrictions
Despite a large elderly population that is more vulnerable to the virus, the state has been slower than many others to restrict businesses.
Tampa Bay Times
March 24, 2020
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.