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.
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.
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.”
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
Exclusive: A Former MPD Lieutenant Reported Another Cop. He Says He Paid a Price.
When Rich Jackson saw the footage — featured in the new documentary "Police on Trial" — that ultimately helped set in motion his exit from the Minneapolis Police Department, the then-lieutenant had a three-word reaction: “What the hell?”
June 2, 2022
‘An Unfiltered View’: Producers of ‘Police on Trial’ on What the Documentary Reveals 2 Years After the Murder of George Floyd
"That's the value of time — to not just watch and see this chronology unfold, but to really push through the surface-level narratives," said Mike Shum, director of "Police on Trial," about the new documentary from FRONTLINE and Star Tribune.
May 31, 2022
Two Years in the Making, 'Police on Trial' Premieres Tonight
Reported with the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, the documentary is "an important new chapter" in FRONTLINE's Local Journalism Initiative, writes executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath.
May 31, 2022
Chauvin, MPD Named in 2 Federal Excessive Force Lawsuits Dating to 2017, Involving Teenager, Woman
A teenager who was pinned under Derek Chauvin’s knee three years before George Floyd’s murder filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday, saying in an interview that the Minneapolis Police Department should have fired or disciplined the ex-officer for the earlier incident.
Star Tribune
May 31, 2022
Two Years After George Floyd’s Murder, Minneapolis’ Efforts to Transform Safety Remain Unfinished
City leaders say they see promise in new programs that rely on civilians for some services, but recent developments have raised fresh questions about whether the MPD can be reformed.
Star Tribune
May 25, 2022
Once Viewed as a 'Paper Tiger,' POST Board Pursues New Reforms to Discipline Misbehaving Police
The Minnesota board's proposed ban on police officers belonging to white supremacist groups, criminal gangs or any extremist group is "a no-brainer," said POST chair and Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy, who has championed the reforms.
Star Tribune
May 22, 2022
Pulitzer Winner Corey G. Johnson on Tampa’s Lead Problem (re-release)
In The FRONTLINE Dispatch podcast: a conversation on the Pulitzer-winning investigation that revealed dangerous levels of lead in and around Gopher Resource, in Florida.
May 19, 2022
Ex-MPD Officer Thomas Lane Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter Charge for Role in George Floyd’s Murder
He was one of three officers convicted in federal court and expected to face trial next month on state charges.
Star Tribune
May 18, 2022
Minneapolis Agrees to Pay $200,000 to Settle Discrimination Complaints by Two Former Police Officers
Colleen Ryan alleged she was denied promotion because she's an openly gay woman, while former Deputy Chief Art Knight alleged his demotion was retaliatory.
Star Tribune
May 12, 2022
1h 24m
Police on Trial
FRONTLINE and Star Tribune examine the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the struggle for police accountability.
May 31, 2022
County Cautions Public About High Lead Around Tampa Factory
Government monitoring devices around Gopher Resource measured lead levels well above federal air-quality standards.
Tampa Bay Times
February 20, 2022
Minneapolis Police Insisted on 'No Knock' Warrant That Led to Amir Locke's Shooting Death; City Announces Moratorium
St. Paul police applied for a standard search warrant for the predawn raid that ended in the shooting death of Amir Locke but were overruled by Minneapolis police, according to a source.
Star Tribune
February 4, 2022
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.