The Choice 2020: Trump v. Biden premieres Tuesday at 8pm on KRWG-TV. It will be available to watch in full at pbs.org/frontline and in the PBS Video App.
Fred Martino spoke with Producer/Director Michael Kirk.
They discuss the challenges of producing the program during such a difficult year for the nation.
From Frontline: FRONTLINE will present The Choice — its critically acclaimed election year special offering interwoven investigative biographies of both major-party candidates. The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden tells the story of a deeply divided nation though the lives of the two men who want to lead it, and premieres Tuesday at 8pm on KRWG-TV.
The Choice 2020 will offer a sharply reported narrative arc of both candidates’ lives through revealing interviews with those who know Trump and Biden best, with insights from key political and cultural figures such as Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, and Joe Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens.
With trustworthy journalism and powerful new insights at a moment when anxious voters are being saturated with misinformation and partisanship, this clear-eyed documentary will examine each man’s approach to power, the defining moments that shaped their lives, and their visions for America’s future at this pivotal juncture.
From veteran chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk, who with his team has made four prior installments of The Choice and nearly 20 documentaries about the Trump and Obama eras, this two-hour FRONTLINE special will be a unique primer for voters on the eve of the election — and a guide to what Americans can expect from the president who will be sworn in on January 20, 2021 to lead a country in crisis.
About Michael Kirk:
Documentary filmmaker Michael Kirk has produced more than 200 national television programs. A former Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University, Kirk was the senior producer of FRONTLINE from the series’ inception in 1983 until the fall of 1987, when he created his own production company, the Kirk Documentary Group. He’s made four prior installments of The Choice and has covered 5 of the last 6 elections. The winner of every major award in broadcast journalism, including four Peabody Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards, two George Polk Awards, 16 Emmy Awards, and 12 Writers Guild of America Awards, Kirk has produced, directed and written more than 100 hours of FRONTLINE, the PBS flagship long-form documentary series. Kirk frequently speaks to academic and corporate institutions on topics ranging from current events to issues confronting journalism. He has appeared on a number of television programs, including Morning Joe, The Today Show, CNN/MSNBC/FOX news programs, and hundreds of radio broadcasts, among them Fresh Air on National Public Radio.
About FRONTLINE
FRONTLINE, U.S. television’s longest running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. FRONTLINE has won every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 93 Emmy Awards and 24 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,