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Need to Know is an American public television news program produced by WNET, and broadcast weekly on all Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate-stations in the United States. It aired from May 2010 until June 2013. PBS stated that the show was intended to fill the public-affairs and "hard"/investigative news void left by both the one-hour Bill Moyers Journal, and the cancelled, half-hour NOW on PBS. Both departing shows had been long-running, highly rated, and critically acclaimed for their journalistic quality, and focus on issues that deeply impacted regular Americans' lives, yet went largely ignored by commercial TV news outlets. "NTK" branded itself the "TV and Web newsmagazine [that] gives you what you need to know." PBS had described the show as “a multi-platform current affairs news magazine, uniting broadcast and web in an innovative approach to news-gathering and reporting."
2010
Afghanistan, rewriting history in Texas, preventing cancer.
A closer look at BP’s safety record, the generosity of a Palestinian family after their son’s killing, and an interview with Sookie Stackhouse’s creator.
Our correspondents travel to the Gulf to look at the oil spill from multiple vantage points. We also examine America’s renewed fascination with gold, and talk to Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist K’naan.
We take a hard look at the consequences of America’s wars, from wounded vets to a fired general. We also go deep inside Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran, and talk to the citizens who criticize or support him. Plus, Andy Borowitz wonders what Tony Hayward will do next to try and re-brand BP.
Russian spies? A gathering of big thinkers on the oil spill and our energy future. And the quest for female Viagra.
Women in the military’s elite bomb squad. Special courts for veterans. And BP’s “other” disaster in the Gulf. Plus: A special summer movie edition of Next Week’s News.
Where art thou, Obama? A look at how Avandia and other possibly dangerous drugs make it to market. And a photojournalist travels to Bangladesh to document one of the world’s most dramatic health crises: childhood malnutrition.
Putting the Shirley Sherrod saga in context. A report on the most dangerous highway in Georgia. And a rare dispute between conservationists and renewable energy advocates in Wyoming.
Could the WikiLeaks be dangerous? 100 days after the start of the oil spill in the Gulf, we check in on an ailing community in Grand Isle. Plus a look back at the life of prison reform advocate David Lewis.
Life in a war zone. An embattled outpost where the U.S. military trains Afghan soldiers. Steve Mumford’s paintings of the war in Iraq. And a special pledge week edition of Next Week’s News.
An epidemic of gun violence in Chicago. Is the Google-Verizon a deal a pact for good, or evil? And Andy Borowitz takes a cue from JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater.
The religious history of lower Manhattan. The U.S. transition in Iraq. And best-selling author Gary Shteyngart, who absolutely loves “weiner dogs.”
Polluted water in Wyoming. The fifth anniversary of Katrina. And the connection between Glenn Beck and the Ground Zero mosque.
Record spending on political campaigns. An experimental jobs program in Mississippi. And the true cost of the federal bank bailout.
We examine where we are as a people on the ninth anniversary of 9/11, including a look at homegrown terrorism and a progress report on the rebuilding of Ground Zero.
Soldiers on the front lines in Afghanistan. Neglect and abuse in adult family homes. And Andy Borowitz looks back at his best prognostications.
Rape as a weapon of war in Congo. An experimental program to fight childhood obesity. And exploring what to do about nuclear waste.
The shadow campaign behind the midterm elections. The efficacy of mammograms. And the movement to disconnect from Facebook.
An hour-long special report on the jobs crisis, profiling the different faces of unemployment. And we talk to Robert Reich and Sara Horowitz about what can be done about joblessness.
Has a program intended by Congress to help native Alaskans delivered on its promise? In cooperation with the Washington Post, Need to Know examines whether a plan to promote the welfare of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised has instead enriched non-native executives and shortchanged taxpayers.
The foreclosure crisis and Peter Sagal.
We bring you a special hour-long report on the midterm elections, including a look at faulty voting machines and investigation into redistricting.
A close look at Yemen, home to a prominent al-Qaida group. Plus: restoring marshes in Iraq, the dysfunctional U.S. Senate, and a Steve Brodner animated editorial.
A special international edition: the Burmese government’s nuclear ambitions, an abduction by Somali pirates, and a discussion with author David Grossman on the Middle East. Plus: Sage advice from Peter Sagal.
Why is the USDA promoting cheese? Plus: part two of our report on Somali pirates, a visit with the 71st Cavalry in Afghanistan, a conversation with religious scholar Reza Aslan, and a Steve Brodner animated editorial.
We bring you some of our best coverage on soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and the troubles they face after returning home. Plus: a holiday message from Peter Sagal.
We examine the recent flare-up between North and South Korea and what it means China and the U.S. Plus: Nuclear waste, the Fort Dix Five and author Gary Shteyngart.
John Larson investigates coal mine safety. A new series on social innovators. Meacham talks tax cuts. And director Julie Taymor discusses the new Spider-Man musical.
Jon Meacham reflects on the legacy of Richard Holbrooke, special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, who died suddenly this week. And we sit down with former diplomat Frank Wisner to take a closer look at the state of President Obama’s foreign policy strategy, following a recent status report on the war in Afghanistan.
Jon Meacham talks with Stacy Schiff about Cleopatra and Robert Alter on the continued relevance of The Bible. Editorial cartoonist Steve Brodner revisits the major headlines of 2010. Plus: Resa Aslan, David Grossman and K’Naan.
2010
Alison Stewart
Jon Meacham
2011
On the eve of Sudan’s historic elections, we profile a “lost boy” who returned to aid his hometown. Plus: medicating foster kids, more “fixing America” and advice from Peter Sagal.
In light of the Arizona shooting, we revisit a story on gun rights. Also: Two Haitian children treated in Boston after the earthquake, a look at high speed rail and author Peter Bergen on al Qaeda.
This week, we visit with parents struggling to maintain care for their developmentally disabled adult children in the face of budget cuts. Plus: where are Michael Vick’s dogs now? And: the Amy Chua phenomenon.
Getting older in the car-dependent suburbs, the State of the Union and the state of the Congo. Plus: an animated editorial by Steve Brodner.
Amid the upheaval in Egypt, we turn our attention to the political tension between Egypt and the U.S. Also, the defunct “death panel” provision, a new scan for Alzheimer’s, and “Reagan.”
As the nation debates how to get the best performance out of students and teachers, Need to Know presents an hour devoted to success stories in teaching.
How many universes are there? Author Brian Greene explains. Plus: A fracking update, a look at what’s next in Egypt and an interview author Parag Khanna.
A special edition on the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. We visit three military families to see how the nation’s longest war effort has affected military children. Also: Six-word memoirs on 9/11, and an “In Perspective” essay from Jon Meacham.
