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 an upcoming…
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
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
Parents of Amir Locke, Who Was Fatally Shot by Minneapolis Police: 'My Heart Ripped Out of My Body'
Amir Locke's parents said the search warrant Minneapolis police were executing when they shot Locke, 22, was unrelated to their son.
Star Tribune
February 4, 2022
Tampa Lead Factory Faces $518,000 Fine for Environmental Violations
The proposed penalty would be the largest in the history of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission.
Tampa Bay Times
January 22, 2022
Texas Slow to Adopt Potential Solutions to Keep Rural Hospitals Open
The hospital in Stamford, Texas, closed in 2018, making it one of 24 rural hospitals to close in the state since 2005. This closure left nearly 3,000 residents without immediate access to healthcare.
The Texas Newsroom
January 19, 2022
Utah Police Shootings Often Involve a Person in a Mental Health Crisis. Here is How Law Enforcement and Advocates Respond.
A new Salt Lake Tribune data analysis shows that at least 42% of police shootings in the past decade involve a person in crisis or who is suicidal.
The Salt Lake Tribune
December 29, 2021
A Tampa Lead Factory Hurt Workers. Here’s How to Avoid a Repeat.
Experts say the solutions could include adding new reporting requirements and increasing the frequency of inspections.
Tampa Bay Times
December 24, 2021
The Other Texas Drought: Rural Healthcare in Jeopardy as Hospitals Shutter
Rural hospitals are up against many obstacles. They often face low reimbursements from insurance companies. Many of the hospitals rely on patients and Medicare payments, but their populations are older or declining.
Texas Newsroom
December 20, 2021
Regulators to Step Up Monitoring of Tampa Lead Factory
A county in Florida plans to increase testing around Gopher Resource’s lead factory and use a new, randomized schedule following a Tampa Bay Times report.
Tampa Bay Times
December 11, 2021
The ‘21-Foot Rule’: How a Controversial Training for Police is Used to Justify Shootings
The 21-foot rule is taught to police across the U.S. and officers use it to explain why they shot at someone. But it's not based on science or the law. And some national policing leaders argue it shouldn’t be taught to cadets anymore.
The Salt Lake Tribune
December 6, 2021
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.