With the glow of the recent FRONTLINE Oscar still warm, this month GBH was honored with five George Foster Peabody Awards for outstanding productions released in 2023. The awards, which recognize storytelling that reflects today’s most pressing social issues, commended the work of FRONTLINE, GBH News, and WORLD. 

“The five special stories honored today address some of the most pressing conflicts of our time, and reveal our country’s unsung history, from a groundbreaking dancer in the age of AIDS to breaking ground on a game-changing highway project,” said Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of GBH. 

GBH News won its first-ever Peabody Award for “ The Big Dig,” a podcast produced in partnership with PRX. The series examines American infrastructure through the lens of the most expensive highway project — undertaken in Boston — in the nation’s history. Infamous for its ever-increasing price tag, this massive highway tunneling effort became a symbol of waste and corruption. Yet, the project delivered on its promise to transform the city. So how did the narrative go so horribly wrong? 

“Using rich archival media and first-person accounts, the team at GBH brought to life the story behind one of our country’s most transformational infrastructure projects, igniting discussions on what America might be capable of building today,” said Pam Johnston, general manager of GBH News.

FRONTLINE was honored for three programs:

  • The Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol, which offers a vivid, harrowing account of civilians caught in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  • America and the Taliban, which traces how America’s 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory and examines the missteps and consequences

  • Clarence and Ginni Thomas, which traces how race, power, and controversy collide in the rise of the Supreme Court justice and his wife and how the couple has reshaped American law and politics

“We are grateful for this recognition and for our unflinching film teams, our editorial partners, and of course GBH, PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whose support allows us to tell these critical, global stories,” said FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath.

WORLD was honored by the Peabody Awards in the arts category for the AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange documentary Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters. AfroPop is co-produced in partnership with Black Public Media. 

“The Peabody tagline is ‘stories that matter,’ and this win — our second Peabody and third recognition from the awards — affirms that at WORLD, we continue to elevate important stories that need to be heard,” said Chris Hastings, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer. “I'm so proud of the team who produced this film and our curation of WORLD, alongside our partners at Black Public Media.”

“The teams’ work represents GBH’s strength in producing trustworthy journalism and fostering thoughtful partnerships,” said Goldberg. 

Listen to “The Big Dig” here or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience the award-winning FRONTLINE films: 20 Days in Mariupol, America and the Taliban, and Clarence & Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court. Watch Can you Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters here. 

Explore more programs from FRONTLINE, GBH News and WORLD.