ARLINGTON, VA; October 24, 2012 – In an effort to educate, engage and inform voters as they head to the polls November 6, PBS is offering its full complement of PBS Election 2012 programming and news coverage online at PBS.org, including top election news of the day, video segments, full episodes and online-only content from PBS NEWSHOUR, FRONTLINE, NEED TO KNOW and WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL AND NATIONAL JOURNAL.
“Our PBS Election 2012 lineup has presented a wealth of information and insights about the candidates, the issues and the voters,” said PBS senior vice president and chief TV programming executive John F. Wilson. “As voters look to election day, PBS.org provides a one-stop resource for a vast array of election content that is trusted, in-depth and independent.”
PBS Election 2012 content available online includes:
• FRONTLINE– Credible, thoughtful reporting combined with powerful narrative, a good story well told: That is at the heart of FRONTLINE’s commitment to its viewers. The program’s webpage is a daily online destination for election coverage, with a dedicated team reporting on news from the campaign trail.
o “THE CHOICE 2012”– This highly acclaimed quadrennial special documents the places, people and decisive moments that made the men competing for the presidency. Hundreds of hours of research and dozens of original interviews reveal new details and fresh insights about Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. (online now)
o “BIG SKY, BIG MONEY” – Correspondent and host of PRI’s “Marketplace” Kai Ryssdal travels to the remote epicenter of the campaign finance debate for a tale of money, politics and intrigue. (available online October 30)
o THE DIGITAL CAMPAIGN – A 25-minute web-exclusive featuring NEWSHOUR correspondent Hari Sreenivasan examines the new strategies campaigns are using to target hard-to-reach voters online. (online now)
o MICROTARGETING – A special interactive online feature allows viewers to see how campaigns might be targeting them. (online now)
o “CLIMATE OF DOUBT” -- Correspondent John Hockenberry explores the dramatic political shift around climate change. Hockenberry goes inside the organizations that fight scientists, environmental groups and lawmakers, hoping to shift the direction of the climate debate and redefine the politics of global warming. (online now)
• PBS NEWSHOUR – The acclaimed news program is engaging a new generation of viewers with its in-depth, online coverage of the 2012 elections. The NEWSHOUR’s veteran political correspondents, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, produce insightful blogs about the final days of the campaign to accompany their own field reporting from battleground states. Correspondent Hari Sreenivasan and political editor Christina Bellantoni generate lively web-only chats with voters, taking questions from across the country about the election, its consequences and how people are making their political decisions this year. The team is also tracking races up and down the ballot in every battleground state and enriching its reporting with photos and video, along with the analysis viewers know and trust. The Vote 2012 Map Center offers 900 different embeddable maps to illustrate the data driving the election.
o LISTEN TO ME– PBS NEWSHOUR showcases the voices of American voters through its year-long “Listen to Me” project, asking their concerns and top issues driving them to the polls. (online now)
o ADLIBS– There is a science to campaign spots, and PBS NEWSHOUR gives voters the tools to see how their own Facebook profiles could be viewed in a political context. AdLibs, created by the NEWSHOUR and Mozilla, helps users create political ads using information they are already sharing on Facebook. (online now)
o BATTLEGROUND DISPATCHES– PBS NEWSHOUR will collaborate with public media partners to report on the issues at stake in key battleground states, such as the prominent role women are playing on the ballot in New Hampshire and several critical congressional races in New York. (online now)
• WASHINGTON WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL AND NATIONAL JOURNAL – Catch up on this show’s insightful discussions with the country’s top journalists who gather weekly to discuss the hot topics of the week, the latest on the candidates and what the country’s thinking about the election. Read “Gwen’s Take,” Gwen Ifill’s personal insights on the news and how it’s covered. (online now)
• NEED TO KNOW – Full episodes of its weekly news magazine show are complete with sharp reporting from across the country, covering political issues from Main Street’s point of view. Political profiles and reports from the road include NEED TO KNOW’s unique features American Voices, Fixing America and more. (online now)
• “AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS: CLARKSTON, GEORGIA WITH MARIA HINOJOSA”– Hinojosa looks at the changing demographics in the United States through the story of a small Southern town that has seen dramatic shifts in its population over three decades. (online now)
• ELECTION 2012: WHAT’S AT STAKE– This special presents viewers with an up-to-the-minute review of this year’s top campaign issues and explores how the eventual outcome of the election could impact those issues and voters’ lives, with pieces contributed by PBS’ full roster of news and public affairs programs. Anchored by PBS NEWSHOUR correspondent Hari Sreenivasan, the special leads viewers through four major issues at the center of this year’s campaigns: stimulating the economy, entitlements and debt, healthcare, and foreign policy. (available online November 2)
• MONEY AND MEDICINE – This documentary examines the medical, ethical and financial challenges of containing runaway healthcare spending. In addition to illuminating the so-called waste and overtreatment that pervade our medical system, the special explores promising ways to reduce healthcare expenditures while improving the overall quality of medical care. (online now)
• RACE 2012 - This provocative conversation about race and politics documents the changing face of America and how that change may affect the country’s political future. (online now)
For more information on PBS Election 2012, including programming from PBS NEWSHOUR, WASHINGTON WEEK, FRONTLINE and NEED TO KNOW, visit pbs.org/election2012 and follow #pbsElection on Twitter.
About PBSPBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 123 million people through television and more than 21 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Meghan Newton / Marissa Lyman, Goodman Media International, 212-576-2700; PBSElections@goodmanmedia.com Jennifer Byrne, PBS, 703-739-5487; jrbyrne@pbs.org
