NOW on PBS
NOW shines a light on corporate and government policies to expose their effects on society and democracy. Using expert reporting, interviews, and analysis, the show goes behind the headlines to provide insight on some of today's most pressing issues.
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Dinner With the President
When Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar chose to make a film about democracy in her country, she didn't just request a traditional interview with President Musharraf: she insisted on a formal dinner. To her surprise, the man who ran Pakistan for nearly eight years agreed, and Sumar spent the evening g …
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Alaska: The Senator and the Oil Man
On Tuesday, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was indicted for failing to disclose gifts he received from VECO Corporation, an Alaska-based oil services company. But his indictment is only the latest news -- and perhaps the tip of the iceberg -- in an ongoing political scandal that's rocking the state. NOW …
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John Edwards' War on Poverty
Even though he's no longer running for president, John Edwards is still a man with a mission: to cut poverty in the United States by 50 percent in 10 years. The current economic crisis has him and his followers more committed than ever, but will their efforts gain enough momentum to make a differenc …
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Afghanistan: The Forgotten War
America thought it had won the war in Afghanistan six years ago, but a recent escalation in violence and instability -- including the death of nine U.S. soldiers this past weekend -- has given rise to the question: Have we allowed the Taliban to come back? NOW Correspondent Bill Gentile reports from …
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Food Fight
Can labor unions still pack a punch for workers? This week, NOW travels to Tar Heel, North Carolina to investigate the twelve-year battle to unionize the world's largest pork processing plant. In so doing, NOW's Maria Hinojosa became the first TV journalist ever allowed to film inside the plant, own …
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Corporate Compassion
Corporations don't have the best reputation when it comes to compassion. More often than not, the bottom line leaves no room for benevolence. But some big businesses are taking a new approach. This week, NOW interviews Jonathan Schwartz, the charismatic CEO and president of Sun Microsystems, and bil …
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Norman Lear on Minding our Media
Public opinion polls unanimously show that trust in mainstream media -- the institution most responsible for keeping us all informed and aware -- is at an all-time low. How did we get here, and more importantly, how can we repair the damage? NOW poses these questions to legendary television producer …
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Live and Learn
Viewed before Hurricane Katrina as an institutional disaster, New Orleans' public schools got a second shot at success as a result of the devastation. City planners ran with the opportunity, deciding not just to rebuild schools, but to implement a bold experiment in public schooling. A full 60 perce …
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Fog of War
Dozens of families say the military has misled them about how their loved ones died, and the army has officially acknowledged seven instances of misinformation. In the most high-profile case, the army is finishing its fourth investigation into the death of former pro football player Pat Tillman in A …
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Election Day Outcomes
News headlines are heralding Democratic Congressional victories on Election Night, but the larger story of the 2006 mid-term elections transcends statistical winners and losers. Since late summer, NOW has been focusing on crucial but underreported personal and political questions related to the elec …
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Sway the Course?
With less than a week to go before the election, it's clear no single issue will have more impact than the war in Iraq. NOW goes to one of the most pro-war districts in the country -- the Texas 31st -- to see how townsfolk deeply affected by our presence in Iraq are expressing their feelings at the …
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Minimum Wedge
In the final days of campaigning, a big battle is brewing over small wages. Congress hasn't touched the federal minimum wage level in nearly a decade (though its members routinely raise their own wages). But this year, eleven states have approved raising the minimum wage and six others have it on th …
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Votes for Sale?
The run-up to this year's midterm election smells of scandal and corruption, which raises the question: Can anyone stop the influence of big money and big influence on political campaigns? This week, NOW presents a special hour-long investigation into the fight to keep American elections free and fa …
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My Country, My Country
Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent eight dangerous months documenting the life of an Iraqi medical doctor and his family as they struggled to maintain hope amidst the bombings, bloodshed, and military occupation. When she returned to America, Poitras was labeled with the highest possible threat rating fr …
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Cleaning House?
Congressman Foley's abrupt resignation last week is sending political shockwaves throughout the Capitol and the country, but more distressing are allegations that House leadership may have known details of Foley's inappropriate correspondence with a young page and done little about it. NOW asks: Can …
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Alien Nation?
NOW looks at how Republican candidates, eager to rally conservative voters, are talking tough on illegal immigration -- even if that means bucking the President. Even more surprising, they're doing so in states which have few illegal immigrants. NOW travels to Indiana to see how the politics of immi …
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Taking the Initiative
In the voting booth this fall, voters in states across the country will find ballot initiatives with titles like "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights" and "SOS - Stop Over Spending." The aim is to slash state spending, including deep cuts in health care, education and other social services. But are these loc …
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Blog the Vote
Left-leaning political bloggers are determined to demonstrate their real world influence in the upcoming mid-term elections. But will they finally make political headway, or just more hype? NOW visits a major political blogging convention and examines the candidacy of surprising U.S. Senate primary …
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Down for the Count
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Block the Vote
NOW on PBS
