From wild anti-vaccine conspiracy theories to “Stop the Steal” and QAnon, we examine how misinformation swiftly spreads online – and the lives it disrupts.
Episodes
The mystery of Mountain Jane Doe
In 1969, an unknown young woman was found dead off a remote mountain trail. Mountain Jane Doe, as locals called her, is one of more than 13,000 people in a national database of unidentified dead.
The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, lies and leaks
Daniel Ellsberg worried that the Vietnam War would spiral into nuclear apocalypse. So he secretly copied a 7,000-page report that exposed the reality of U.S.’s role in Vietnam.
The bad place
The graffiti told a chilling story: “This is a bad place.” More than 40 states have sent children to facilities run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, despite dozens of cases of abuse.
Why police reform fails
Six years after Ferguson, St. Louis hasn’t seen a single substantive police reform. A group of young Black leaders have instead set their sights higher: taking control of city politics.
Banking on inequity
Billions of dollars were supposed to help small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. But the money was marred by racial inequity.
The rise and fall of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme
Bernie Madoff masterminded one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history, duping thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars. After his recent death, we dig into how he pulled it off.
The jail tapes in the dumpster
A murder conviction sent Myon Burrell to prison for life when he was a teenager. An investigative reporter dug into what seemed a hopeless case. What she found helped free him.
The Robert Mueller of Latin America
Guatemala sends more migrants to the U.S. than anywhere in Central America. What is driving so many people to leave?
Sick on the inside
For decades, the U.S. has run private “shadow prisons” for immigrants convicted of federal crimes. Biden has ordered the government to wind down those contracts.