The FRONTLINE Dispatch

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Update: Living With Murder Jan 10, 2019

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Part Three of the Living With Murder Series.

In December 2017, after serving 30 years of his life sentence, Kempis Songster left Graterford Prison on lifetime parole.

A lot has happened since then. He now lives in Philadelphia. He’s working, married and became a father. One year after Reporter/Producer Samantha Broun and Kempis Songster stopped recording their conversations for the Living with Murder series, they return with this series’ update on what Kempis’ life looks like today. This story was produced in collaboration with the public radio website Transom.org.

Living With Murder: Part 1 (Rebroadcast) Jan 10, 2019

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At 15, after committing a brutal murder, Kempis Songster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But now he has a chance to be free, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court rulings that found the sentences of thousands of inmates who, like Songster, committed their crimes as juveniles, to be unconstitutional.

This episode produced in collaboration with Transom.org.

Living With Murder: Part 2 (Rebroadcast) Jan 10, 2019

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This is Part Two of his story.

This episode was a collaboration with Transom.org.

KIDS' SPECIAL: Muzamil's Day Dec 27, 2018

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In this special episode for kids, FRONTLINE follows a day in the life of Muzamil, a 12-year-old Somali boy growing up Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee Camp. Producer Bianca Giaever and Reporter Roopa Gogineni bring him questions from American kids about what it’s like growing up in a refugee camp. Are there dentists? A fire department? What is your dreamland? Muzamil takes us through his daily life, answering questions from American kids along the way.

This episode was produced in partnership with Firelight Media. You can see pictures of Dadaab, Muzamil, and his friends here: https://to.pbs.org/2CAnQwN

The Weight of Dust Dec 13, 2018

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Scott Gaines was a first responder on 9/11. When he retired a couple months later, he thought he’d escaped the aftermath unscathed. This time on The FRONTLINE Dispatch, a story about the lasting impacts of 9/11 – told by his daughter, reporter Amy Gaines.

This story was produced by Michelle Mizner and Sophie McKibben.

I Don't Want To Shoot You, Brother Nov 29, 2018

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A young black man was dead. A young white cop was quickly fired. If that sounds surprising, you don’t know the half of it. This is a shocking story about police and the use of lethal force. Just not the one you might expect.

This story was done in collaboration with ProPublica. It was reported by Joe Sexton and produced by Sophie McKibben. You can read an accompanying print piece written by Joe Sexton here.

Coming November 29th Nov 14, 2018

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The second season of The FRONTLINE Dispatch launches on November 29th.

The FRONTLINE Dispatch comes to you from the producers and reporters of the PBS investigative documentary series FRONTLINE. New episodes biweekly. Subscribe now.

Living With Murder: Part Two Nov 22, 2017

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This is Part Two of his story.

This episode was a collaboration with Transom.org.

Living With Murder: Part One Nov 16, 2017

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This episode produced in collaboration with Transom.org.

A Life Sentence: Victims, Offenders, Justice And My Mother Nov 09, 2017

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There are more than 2,000 people in prisons around the country who were convicted of murder as juveniles and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But recent Supreme Court decisions have found these sentences unconstitutional and set in motion a process for re-evaluating these “juvenile lifers.”
To close out the first season of The FRONTLINE Dispatch, we have three stories about juvenile lifers. This first is the story of a violent crime committed by a juvenile lifer whose second chance went horribly wrong. It is an intensely personal documentary, but it carries far-reaching implications that extend into public life and into the heart of our political and correctional systems.
This piece was produced by Samantha Broun and Jay Allison. It was originally made in 2016 for the public radio website Transom.org. Listen to it here: https://transom.org/2016/a-life-sentence-victims-offenders-justice-and-my-mother/. We are presenting an update to a version that aired later that year on This American Life: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/604/20-years-later.
Next on The FRONTLINE Dispatch: the mini-series continues with two more stories about juvenile life without parole from producers Samantha Broun and Jay Allison.

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