Amid the War in Gaza, FRONTLINE and Retro Report Examine the Conflict over the Conflict in “Crisis on Campus”

Crisis on Campus Premieres Tues., June 11, 2024 7/6c: pbs.org/frontline, PBS App 10/9c: PBS stations (check local listings), YouTube & the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel www.facebook.com/frontline | X (formerly Twitter): @frontlinepbs Instagram: @frontlinepbs | YouTube: youtube.com/frontline

A firestorm has been raging on many American college campuses.

Ignited by the devastating October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the catastrophic war in Gaza, the outrage deeply divided American campuses and, in some places, devolved into hate-filled rhetoric and arrests.

FRONTLINE and Retro Report have been following the escalating turmoil since the war began — talking to people on all sides of the divide, investigating how universities have responded, how powerful interests joined the fray, and how the conflict over the conflict ultimately spiraled out of control.

The result is a timely new documentary titled Crisis on Campus, which premieres on PBS (check local listings) and on YouTube on Tuesday, June 11 at 10/9c and on pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App and on PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.

From director James Jacoby (Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza, Amazon Empire, Age of Easy Money) and Retro Report producers Scott Michels and Joseph Hogan, Crisis on Campus examines how the debate over one of the world’s most intractable and complex conflicts has gripped American college campuses.

The special offers an incisive, on-the-ground look at mounting tensions at some of the nation’s most elite institutions, including Columbia and Harvard universities, which have been the focus of intense debate.

The documentary draws on revealing, on-the-ground interviews with students and faculty at Harvard and Columbia, as well as other key players in Washington and beyond, including: pro-Palestinian Harvard students whose letter blaming Israel led to national uproar; UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ; Rep. Virginia Foxx, who chaired congressional hearings over antisemitism on college campuses; Christopher Rufo, a conservative political activist who has been critical of the universities’ response to the conflict; and billionaire Columbia donor Leon Cooperman, who stopped donating to the university.

With firsthand accounts from all sides, Crisis on Campus traces the growing strain on U.S. campuses in the wake of the October 7 attack – from the controversial Harvard letter to the congressional hearings and resignations of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, to the protests and arrests that made headlines at Columbia when students took over a building and the New York City Police Department was called in.

FRONTLINE and Retro Report explore how, amid escalating protests, university administrators across the country faced the challenge of how to respond to the heated rhetoric and division on their campuses, along with how to balance free speech with the need to prevent harassment and discrimination.

As of this month, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and Hamas is still holding Israeli hostages. Crisis on Campus offers a window into how the divisions over the war continue to run deep on college campuses across the country.

Crisis on Campus premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 10/9c on PBS and on YouTube, and at 7/6c on pbs.org/frontline, the PBS App, and will also be available on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel. The documentary is distributed internationally by PBS International. Subscribe to FRONTLINE’s newsletter to get updates on events, podcast episodes and more related to Crisis on Campus.

Credits Crisis on Campus is a FRONTLINE Production with Retro Report. Directed by James Jacoby. Produced by Scott Michels and Joseph Hogan. Written by James Jacoby and Scott Michels. The senior producer is Dan Edge.  The executive producer of Retro Report is Kyra Darnton. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.

About FRONTLINE FRONTLINE, U.S. television’s longest running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. FRONTLINE has won an Academy Award® as well as every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 106 Emmy Awards and 34 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to learn more. FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

About Retro Report Retro Report is a New York City-based, independent, nonprofit news organization committed to enhancing civic engagement and critical thinking through award-winning documentaries and educational resources. Retro Report produces documentaries that explore contemporary issues through their historical lens and human impact, often bringing untold stories to light. Retro Report has worked in partnership with PBS, The New York Times, PBS FRONTLINE, PBS NewsHour, The New Yorker, Scientific American, Time, Vox, VICE, and others. They have been honored with 14 Edward R. Murrow Awards, 10 Emmy award nominations, three Mirror Award nominations, 11 Webby awards, a Gerald Loeb award, and many others.

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