FRONTLINE Launches a Multiplatform Examination of Life in the Digital Age

FRONTLINE Launches a Multiplatform Examination of Life in the Digital Age

http://www.pbs.org/frontline/digitalnation

BOSTON, April 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PBS FRONTLINE today announces the launch of a new multiplatform initiative exploring the impact of the Web and digital media on life in the 21st century. The year-long project, Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier, will unfold through a series of online video reports and user-submitted stories that will springboard to a national television broadcast to air in winter 2010. The Web site, broadcast and companion educational outreach initiatives are funded by a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation.

"The sweeping magnitude and speed with which digital media has permeated nearly every facet of our culture prompts us to take a long, hard look at the implications," says FRONTLINE Executive Producer David Fanning. "The Verizon Foundation's commitment to exploring these issues has been very encouraging. An initiative of this scope would not have been possible without the Foundation's generous financial support."

The Digital Nation Web site will include online video reports on how the Internet and technology are changing cultures, reshaping workplaces and creating new approaches to the way we solve problems. Issues to be examined include the Web's impact on education, how social media has changed the way individuals interact, and Internet safety and privacy. Central to the site will be a mosaic of user-generated content designed to let visitors participate in the documentary process. The site will also feature a producers' blog, embeddable video and other sharable content, and a schedule of live online events with expert guests.

"Our children are growing up in a digital world. It's how they communicate, learn and share ideas," says Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. "Online technology has had a tremendous impact on our society, and its role will continue to grow with further advances. Verizon is proud to partner with FRONTLINE on this important and innovative project."

Digital Nation will be supported by an extensive promotion and outreach campaign to encourage participation in the Web site's user-generated video initiative, live online forums and a special collection of interactive educational resources. Internet safety workshops for teachers and parents as well as curriculum for middle and high school students will be available through the Digital Nation Web site, the Verizon Foundation's free educational Web site Thinkfinity.org, and WGBH's Teachers' Domain. Additional national outreach partners include the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association, Classroom 2.0, Common Sense Media, Family Online Safety Institute, National Association for Media Literacy Education and PBS Teachers. Organizations interested in partnership opportunities should contact FRONTLINE.

Digital Nation is created by the award-winning FRONTLINE producer Rachel Dretzin (Growing Up Online, The Lost Children of Rockdale County), with correspondent Douglas Rushkoff (The Persuaders, The Merchants of Cool). FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. Digital Nation is brought to you by the Verizon Foundation.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

pbs.org/pressroom

Promotional photography can be downloaded from the PBS pressroom.

Press Contacts:
Erin Kane, EMK Public Relations, (508) 309-3530, erin@emkpr.com
Alissa Rooney, FRONTLINE, (617) 300-5314, alissa_rooney@wgbh.org
Brian Malina, Verizon Foundation, (908) 559-6434, brian.c.malina@verizon.com

Source: FRONTLINE

CONTACT: Erin Kane, EMK Public Relations, +1-508-309-3530,
erin@emkpr.com; Alissa Rooney of FRONTLINE, +1-617-300-5314,
alissa_rooney@wgbh.org; or Brian Malina, Verizon Foundation, +1-908-559-6434,
brian.c.malina@verizon.com

Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/frontline/digitalnation
http://www.pbs.org/frontline

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