News War

News War

192 min

In a multi-part series, News War, FRONTLINE examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn. Through interviews with key figures in print, broadcast and electronic media over the past four decades — and with unequaled, behind-the-scenes access to some of today’s most important news organizations, FRONTLINE traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration’s attacks on the media to the post-Watergate popularity of the press, to the new challenges presented by the war on terror and other global forces now changing — and challenging — the role of the press in our society.

Directed by Raney Aronson-Rath · Written by Raney Aronson-Rath

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 37m together

News War

Born Poor

Both from Raney Aronson-Rath.

More from Raney Aronson-RathSee all →

Caught in the CrackdownCaught in the Crackdown · 2026
Caught in the Crackdown
★ 10.02026
MovieDocumentary
FRONTLINE and ProPublica trace the violence, protests and arrests stemming from federal immigration sweeps across the United States. The documentary examines the tactics, legal cases and impact — from Los Angeles to Chicago to Minneapolis.
Born PoorBorn Poor · 2025
Born Poor
★ 10.02025
MovieDocumentary
More than a decade ago, the Emmy-nominated documentary "Poor Kids" explored poverty in the United States as it’s rarely seen: through the eyes of children. "Born Poor" tells the stories of the same children, now grown, chronicling their lives from childhood to the present day. The 90-minute documentary follows Kaylie, Johnny and Brittany across three chapters of their lives as they grow from kids to teenagers to adults, trying to pursue their dreams while dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportunities — and trying to overcome the grinding poverty that shaped their childhoods.
One in a MillionOne in a Million · 2026
One in a Million
★ 9.52026
MovieDocumentary
Filmed over 10 years, one girl's epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience.
The War CabinetThe War Cabinet · 2026
The War Cabinet
★ 9.32026
MovieDocumentary
Rubio. Vance. Wiles. Gabbard. Hegseth. Miller. These are some of the key players behind President Donald Trump's expansive use of the U.S. military. FRONTLINE examines the inner circle of advisors and officials trying to project U.S. power, from clashes with allies, to taking out foreign leaders, to waging war in the Middle East. • "The War Cabinet"
For SamaFor Sama · 2019
For Sama
★ 8.22019
MovieDocumentaryWar
A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.
2000 Meters to Andriivka2000 Meters to Andriivka · 2025
2000 Meters to Andriivka
★ 8.12025
MovieDocumentaryWar
Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.
20 Days in Mariupol20 Days in Mariupol · 2023
20 Days in Mariupol
★ 8.12023
MovieDocumentaryWar
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
Once Upon a Time in IraqOnce Upon a Time in Iraq · 2020
Once Upon a Time in Iraq
★ 8.02020
MovieDocumentary
Civilians, journalists and soldiers from both sides of the conflict explain their experience during the Iraq War, from the 2003 invasion through the 17 years that followed. Edited version from "Once Upon a Time in Iraq" (2020)
American ReckoningAmerican Reckoning · 2022
American Reckoning
★ 8.02022
MovieDocumentary
In this feature-length documentary from FRONTLINE and Retro Report, an unsolved 1960s murder reveals an untold story of the civil rights movement and Black resistance. “American Reckoning” examines Black opposition to racist violence in Mississippi, spotlighting a little-known armed resistance group called the Deacons for Defense and Justice, woven alongside the Jackson family’s decades-long search for justice amid a federal effort to investigate civil rights era cold cases.
Strike on Iran: The Nuclear QuestionStrike on Iran: The Nuclear Question · 2025
Strike on Iran: The Nuclear Question
★ 8.02025
MovieDocumentary
Using rare on-the-ground access in Iran and in-depth forensic analysis, FRONTLINE, The Washington Post, Evident Media and Bellingcat conduct an immersive investigation of Iran’s nuclear program in the aftermath of the U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Age of Easy MoneyAge of Easy Money · 2023
Age of Easy Money
★ 7.72023
MovieDocumentary
Around the country and across the world, the threat of a recession is looming and economic uncertainty is rising as markets, businesses and individuals adjust to a new reality: the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates and pulling back on its epic monetary experiment that started with the Great Financial Crisis. From the award-winning team behind "The Facebook Dilemma" and "Amazon Empire," the two-hour documentary "Age of Easy Money" investigates how the Fed’s experiment has changed the American economy and what it means that the era may be over.
Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff BezosAmazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos · 2020
Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos
★ 7.52020
MovieDocumentary
Jeff Bezos is not only one of the richest men in the world, he has built a business empire that is without precedent in the history of American capitalism. His power to shape everything from the future of work to the future of commerce to the future of technology is unrivaled. As politicians and regulators around the world start to consider the global impact of Amazon — and how to rein in Bezos’ power — FRONTLINE investigates how he executed a plan to build one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world.
The Choice 2020: Trump vs. BidenThe Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden · 2020
The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden
★ 7.22020
MovieDocumentaryHistory
A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.
ScammedScammed · 2026
Scammed
★ 7.02026
MovieDocumentary
Millions of Americans have fallen victim to a growing epidemic of online scams, from sextortion schemes aimed at teens to crypto investment scams targeting seniors. FRONTLINE and Associated Press have spent more than a year investigating this shadowy world that's grown into a global criminal industry, powered in many cases by organized crime, trafficked labor, American technology, and, increasingly, Al.
The Rise of ISISThe Rise of ISIS · 2014
The Rise of ISIS
★ 7.02014
MovieDocumentary
FRONTLINE investigates the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Correspondent Martin Smith, who made "Truth, War & Consequences," "Beyond Baghdad," "Private Warriors" and "Gangs of Iraq," reports from Iraq on how the country began coming undone after the American withdrawal and what it means for the U.S. to be fighting there again.
Watani: My HomelandWatani: My Homeland · 2016
Watani: My Homeland
★ 6.62016
MovieDocumentary
The story of one family's fight and struggle to survive the Syrian Civil War. Having lost her husband, the mother makes the heart achingly painful decision to leave her homeland, in search of safety and a brighter future for her children. Filmed over three years, the film chronicles the family's journey from the front-line in Aleppo, to a little town in Germany. Escaping the chaos and terror of their war torn homeland becomes a catalyst for a different kind of struggle; the struggle to understand your past and accept your present, to adapt to a new life, to hold on to hope, and the idea of belonging to a homeland.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter