FRONTLINE Wins 2019 duPont-Columbia Gold Baton: A Note From FRONTLINE’s Executive Producer

Today, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards announced that FRONTLINE has received its highest honor, the Gold Baton — an award that hasn’t been given in a decade. In a recognition of our work across multiple platforms, the duPonts’ citation praised us for a year of varied reporting and for being a “a standard-bearer and innovator.”

“This year FRONTLINE produced an exceptional lineup of outstanding programs that illustrated how well it both champions traditional documentaries while also forging ahead with cutting edge, adaptive content,” the duPont citation reads, pointing to eight projects.

Those eight projects include six documentaries on both domestic and international issues (Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia; Myanmar’s Killing Fields;  Mosul; Putin’s Revenge;  The Gang Crackdown; and Life on Parole, in collaboration with The New York Times); a two-part story from our new podcast series, The FRONTLINE Dispatch (Living With Murder, in collaboration with Transom.org); and an interactive digital documentary, The Last Generation, about climate change in collaboration with The GroundTruth Project.

This is an award that recognizes the hard work of FRONTLINE’s journalists, filmmakers and audio and digital storytellers. It’s also an award that recognizes our partners and collaborators.

Being described as both “a standard-bearer and innovator” is especially meaningful to all of us at FRONTLINE. Together we have built a culture that strives to deliver investigative, narrative documentary films, and also encourages new story forms – from our interactive films to our original podcast and beyond.   

It’s an honor to be recognized in this way by the duPont jury. We couldn’t do this breadth of work without the support of PBS, CPB, WGBH and our funders, who encourage us to push the boundaries of our storytelling while continuing to provide depth and rigor in all our journalism.

And, I’m grateful to you — our audience and community — for your enduring belief in our work. We share this award with all of you. – Raney Aronson-Rath FRONTLINE Executive Producer