About Frank
Frank Carlson is a general assignment producer at the PBS NewsHour, where he's been producing video since 2010. @frankncarlson
Frank’s Recent Stories
Politics Dec 09
Introducing: Broken JusticeWe’re briefly interrupting your regular podcast feed to offer a sample of our newest podcast series: Broken Justice. In 1997, Ricky Kidd was sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide he says he didn’t commit. And, he argues,…
Nation Dec 03
Episode 5: Where do we go from here?After 23 years behind bars, and a crushing defeat in 2009, Ricky Kidd finally gets a new day in court. Plus, we take a look inside a new St. Louis County prosecutor’s campaign to uproot the process that fuels the…
Nation Nov 26
Episode 4: Public defenders fight backThe most common tool used to attack problems in public defender systems is the class action lawsuit. But what if there’s a better strategy? Steve Hanlon, a longtime advocate for systemic legal reform, has a big idea about big data.
Nation Nov 19
Episode 3: When things go wrongThe American justice system is based around the idea that you can get to the truth when two opposing sides make their cases in court. But what happens if your defense attorney is so overloaded they can’t handle the case…
Nation Nov 14
Read Ricky Kidd’s desperate letters begging his public defender to do moreFrom the beginning, Kidd told his public defender that he was innocent, and he knew who actually committed the crime he was charged with.
Nation Nov 13
Episode 2: How did we get here?Americans didn’t always have the right to an attorney. It all started with a pool hall robbery in Florida, and an unlikely legal advocate: a poor drifter named Clarence Earl Gideon. Gideon brought the fight for free counsel to the…
Nation Nov 06
In Missouri, why relying on a public defender can mean you slip through the cracksA new podcast from the NewsHour examines the public defender system in the United States — and the enormous gaps and problems that undermine its effectiveness. Amna Nawaz and producer Frank Carlson reported from Missouri for this five-part series, and…
Nation Nov 05
Episode 1: TriageCan an attorney handle more than 100 criminal cases at a time? That’s the reality for a public defender like Jeff Esparza, who represents defendants unable to afford their own lawyers in Kansas City. The public defender system in Missouri—and…
Nation Oct 29
Broken Justice TrailerIn 1997, Ricky Kidd was sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide he says he didn’t commit. And he says his court-appointed lawyer is the reason. In the U.S. justice system, everyone has the right to an attorney,…
Nation Oct 29
Broken JusticeIn 1997, Ricky Kidd was sentenced to life without parole for a double homicide he says he didn’t commit. And he says his court-appointed lawyer is the reason. In the U.S. justice system, everyone has the right to an attorney,…
