FRONTLINE Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath Honored with Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award

BOSTON, April 13, 2022 — On Wednesday night, FRONTLINE Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath was honored at the 12th annual New England First Amendment Awards with the Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award.

According to the NEFAC’s official announcement, the Stephen Hamblett Award is named after the late publisher of The Providence Journal and is given each year to an individual who has “promoted, defended, or advocated for the First Amendment throughout his or her career.”

Overseeing FRONTLINE’s reporting on PBS and online, as well as directing the documentary series’ editorial vision, Aronson-Rath was recognized by the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC) for “spearheading an initiative to bolster local journalism in news deserts and [leading] an ongoing charge for transparency in journalism — including through the FRONTLINE Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind FRONTLINE’s reporting,” and for serving as “the sole public media representative on the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy, a panel that published a landmark report on the causes and consequences of growing distrust in democratic institutions, including the press.”

In her acceptance speech, Aronson-Rath spoke about how FRONTLINE’s journalism is a team effort, noting it wouldn’t be possible without “lawyers, journalists, producers, directors and editors, and also without the support of public media.” She added: “We would not be who we are today without the support of GBH, PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”

Aronson-Rath joined FRONTLINE in 2007 as a senior producer. She was named deputy executive producer by David Fanning, the series’ founder, in 2012 and then became executive producer in 2015. Before managing FRONTLINE, Aronson-Rath produced a number of notable FRONTLINE documentaries, including News War, a four-part investigation into the future of news; The Last Abortion Clinic, an examination of how anti-abortion advocates waged a successful campaign to limit abortion in many places in the country; The Jesus Factor, an examination of then-President George W. Bush’s personal religious journey and the political influence of America’s evangelical Christians; Law & Disorder, an investigation into questionable police shootings in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; and Post Mortem, which uncovered flaws in America’s death investigation system and revealed that autopsies were being carried out by doctors who lacked certification and training.

“The work [done] at FRONTLINE is fiercely independent, but it has the support of public media, and it always has,” Aronson-Rath said in her acceptance speech. “I’m carrying on that tradition but the foundation is there, and it’s a strong one.” 

Previous recipients of the Hamblett Award include Yamiche Alcindor, former White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and now the host of PBS’ Washington Week; A. G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times; and Stephen Engelberg, founding managing editor and now editor-in-chief of ProPublica. Read more about Aronson-Rath’s Hamblett Award here.

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FRONTLINE Press Contact: Anne Husted | Manager, Public Relations and Communications | frontlinemedia@wgbh.org | 6173005312