Frontline takes on the storming of the Capitol from a year ago when an updated version of American Insurrection premieres on PBS January 4. The original American Insurrection documentary, running for close to 90 minutes, debuted in April.
“Where does the threat of far-right violence in America stand now, a year after the attack on the Capitol?” wonders Frontline.
Rick Rowley directs. Karim Hajj and Jacquie Soohen produce and A.C. Thompson is the correspondent. The documentary is supported by Exploring Hate, a multiplatform public media initiative from The WNET Group.
ProPublica and Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program contributed to American Insurrection, the original documentary looking at extremist groups evolving from the Charlottesville rally in 2017 to the Capitol riot. The updated film looks at the state of affairs a year later, with the midterm elections on the horizon.
“Drawing on timely new interviews with law enforcement and members of Congress, as well as on-the-ground reporting, the documentary finds that while arrests of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection temporarily quieted protests and splintered some organized far-right groups, that trend was short-lived,” according to Frontline.
Thompson said “the false idea that the election was stolen” remains a major motivator for many on the far right. ■
