Plot to Overturn the Election
Tues., Mar. 29, 2022
Streaming at 7/6c at pbs.org/frontline & in the PBS Video App
Airing at 10/9c on PBS and on YouTube
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One year after President Biden’s inauguration, more than two thirds of Republican voters believe his election was illegitimate — and the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump is now a defining issue of the Republican Party. Yet the story of how lies about election fraud made their way to the center of American politics has not been fully told.

Now, in a new investigative collaboration, FRONTLINE and ProPublica trace several of the hidden sources of disinformation about the 2020 election and demonstrate how a handful of people have had an outsized impact on the current crisis of democratic legitimacy in the United States.

The documentary, Plot to Overturn the Election premieres Tue., Mar. 29 at 9 p.m. E.D.T./8 p.m. C.D.T. Tune in or stream on PBS (check local listings), at pbs.org/frontline or on the PBS Video App.

Reporter A.C Thompson (Documenting Hate, New American Nazis, American Insurrection) and his colleagues Doug Bock Clark and Alexandra Berzon team up to show how a small team of Trump supporters met in secret to create the core narratives of fraud that Trump would champion from the White House. The film illustrates how the legacy of their campaign goes beyond the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and extends into the growing movement to audit the vote in battleground states, alter election law, and elect Republican candidates who believe the election was stolen.

FRONTLINE and ProPublica have been reporting on the threats against American democracy fueled by the Trump era for the past four years — most recently, offering an in-depth look at how far-right extremist groups have evolved from the deadly 2017 Charlottesville rally to the assault on the U.S. Capitol in the George Polk Award-winning documentary American Insurrection, as well as through their acclaimed series Documenting Hate. This latest collaborative, multi-platform effort also will include text stories from ProPublica co-published on FRONTLINE’s website.

“This moment in time is about more than just politics — it’s about democracy. And at a time where American democracy is more vulnerable than ever, we’re proud to continue our investigative reporting with ProPublica and to deliver accessible, trustworthy journalism to the American people,” says Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE executive producer.

“The ongoing lies about the 2020 election have, unfortunately, become a central aspect of our politics and our future as a nation,’’ said Stephen Engelberg, editor in chief of ProPublica. “We’re proud to partner with FRONTLINE to bring into public focus the people who spread the myth that the election was rigged.’’

Plot to Overturn the Election premieres Tue., Mar. 29 at 10 p.m. E.D.T./9 p.m. C.D.T. Tune in or stream on PBS (check local listings), at pbs.org/frontline or on the PBS Video App. Additionally, to support the premiere of Plot to Overturn the Election, FRONTLINE and ProPublica will also be hosting a curated collection of in-person and virtual events. Subscribe to FRONTLINE’s newsletter for additional details and links to RSVP.

Credits
Plot to Overturn the Election is a FRONTLINE production with Midnight Films, LLC in partnership with ProPublica. The correspondent is A.C. Thompson. The producer, writer and director is Samuel Black. The executive producer for 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 every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 100 Emmy Awards and 26 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 funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative is funded with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

About ProPublica
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. With a team of more than 100 dedicated journalists, ProPublica covers a range of topics, focusing on stories with the potential to spur real-world impact. Its reporting has contributed to the passage of new laws; reversals of harmful policies and practices; and accountability for leaders at local, state, and national levels. Since it began publishing in 2008, ProPublica has received six Pulitzer Prizes, five Peabody Awards, 10 George Polk Awards, two DuPont Columbia Awards and four Emmy Awards.

FRONTLINE Press Contact: frontlinemedia@wgbh.org | 617.300.5312