Journalism Under Threat

With press freedom under threat in various countries around the world, FRONTLINE has been covering stories of journalists holding power to account and the forces working against them. The pursuit of independent reporting, whether it involves investigating corruption, exposing crime, or uncovering human rights violations and other forms of systemic injustice, can put journalists at risk.

FRONTLINE’s coverage documents how journalists have faced and responded to the threats of government crackdowns, intimidation, violence, censorship, imprisonment and online harassment. As our reporting shows, these efforts have evolved to include novel technological tools like spyware. Our documentaries take an in-depth look at the media landscape in Russia and the Philippines and examine the evolving threats to journalism.

Related Documentaries

Related Stories

The ‘Dangerous Assignment’ That Sent a Venezuelan Journalist Into Exile
Venezuelan journalist Roberto Deniz and director Juan Ravell talk about ‘A Dangerous Assignment.’
May 24, 2024
‘A Dangerous Assignment’ Director and Reporter Discuss the Risks in Investigating the Powerful in Maduro’s Venezuela
The director and reporter of FRONTLINE and Armando.info's documentary ‘A Dangerous Assignment’ spoke about the price that journalists pay for investigating the powerful in Venezuela.
May 14, 2024
‘It Would Have Been Easier To Look Away’: A Journalist’s Investigation Into Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela
Roberto Deniz, a Venezuelan investigative journalist, talks about the FRONTLINE & Armando.info documentary ‘A Dangerous Assignment,’ which examines a shadowy figure at the center of a corruption scandal.
May 14, 2024
When Journalism Is Exiled
A message about press freedom from Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE's editor-in-chief and executive producer.
May 3, 2024
1h 24m
4212_sig image_02
A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro's Venezuela
FRONTLINE and the Venezuelan news outlet Armando.info investigate the figure at the heart of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S.
May 14, 2024
1h 37m
for PBS MM website and homepage
20 Days in Mariupol
Now an Academy Award & BAFTA Award winner. FRONTLINE and The Associated Press present an extraordinary account of the Russian siege of Mariupol, seen through the lens of the AP’s Mstyslav Chernov and two colleagues who documented the atrocities and their own escape.
November 21, 2023
From Russian Newspaper Editor to ‘Foreign Agent’
‘Putin vs. the Press’ director Patrick Forbes, on chronicling the story of embattled Russian journalist and Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov.
October 5, 2023
How Russia’s Press Freedom has Deteriorated Over the Decades Since Putin Came to Power
FRONTLINE takes a closer look at the different tactics that President Vladimir Putin and the government have used to clamp down on journalists in Russia, and the impact it’s had on press freedom since he came to power.
September 26, 2023
Nobel Prize-Winning Journalist Maria Ressa Acquitted of Tax Evasion in Philippines
Still, legal challenges remain for Ressa, whose story was chronicled in the 2021 FRONTLINE documentary 'A Thousand Cuts.'
September 14, 2023
How Russian Journalist Dmitry Muratov, Now Declared a ‘Foreign Agent,’ Faced Off With Putin in the Past
In September, the Russian government labeled Nobel Prize-winning Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov a ‘foreign agent.’ As this excerpt from the documentary "Putin vs. the Press" shows, Muratov had in the past publicly confronted Putin about his crackdown on the press.
September 12, 2023
53m
Putin v the Press Dmitry Muratov
Putin vs. the Press
The story of one journalist’s battle to defend free speech in Putin’s Russia.
September 26, 2023
Amid the Taliban’s Worsening Crackdown on Journalists, News in Afghanistan Is Forced to Adapt
With news outlets facing more censorship and restrictions from the Taliban, Afghans are turning to social media and citizen journalism for information.
April 25, 2023