What We Do

Journalism is driven by the hunt for the truth. GBH News uses its hyperlocal focus to bring Massachusetts residents the untold stories in their communities. Our investigative reporting on FRONTLINE sheds light on the world’s most pressing issues, while our daily international reporting on The World brings us all closer together.

Whether it’s local or global news, GBH’s journalists include diverse voices and carefully examine the angles that others may overlook.

We are proud to be the most trusted media institution in our region. Maintaining, building, and earning that trust is a priority for us. We do that by adhering to the following principles for our journalism: credibility through fact-based storytelling; transparency, helping you understand where our information comes from; fairness by approaching every topic with an open mind, and accessibility. We are here for you wherever you get news and information: on your phone, tablet, desktop, radio or television.

Democracy requires an educated citizenry. Not all children have access to a good education, but everyone has access to public media. GBH offers the richest collection of free educational media resources available in the United States to teachers and students around the world, allowing them to cultivate the knowledge and skills needed to become informed citizens.

By tapping into PBS LearningMedia, teachers and students can explore a vast U.S. History collection, the mysteries of math, travel into black holes, conduct science experiments using real data, and learn about cultures from Korea to Kenya. Outside the classroom, children can engage with a rich array of resources designed to introduce them to the wonders of numbers and letters, encourage their curiosity about the natural world, and help them practice the social and emotional skills they’ll need to navigate the world successfully.

Science is captivating — the natural world and technology offer some of our most compelling stories. That’s why we’ve made science storytelling a focus at GBH, and we’re using new platforms to tell those stories in creative ways. NOVA, produced at GBH, is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe.

NOVA’s important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs.

Understanding history is essential to understanding ourselves.

We are all rooted in time and shaped by the past. And to understand history, we have to tell all of its stories—the uncomfortable accounts and the triumphant tales. Because GBH is free from commercial constraints, we are able to convey the richness of history without pressure to simplify, whitewash, or omit parts of the story.

Through its carefully researched films, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE uncovers the experiences of all Americans. But the story isn’t finished when the film ends. Digital resources allow our audiences to explore primary sources that were once only available to academics. Our expansive web presence allows viewers to explore a topic in all kinds of ways: watching short-form video, studying historical images, and reading accessible essays written by experts in their fields. When these resources are available to all, we uncover a collective history that brings us closer to the truth.

There’s a reason our very first broadcast was a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert. We brought listeners into the concert hall because we knew that providing access to the arts gives people the chance to expand their perspectives, helping us all appreciate new ideas and beauty.

For decades, GBH has worked to bring classical and jazz music to all, so that everyone can experience the genres that inspire the music that we listen to today. Since that first broadcast, we’ve continued to amplify the arts and expand our offerings across platforms. MASTERPIECE offers viewers the chance to visit new places and time periods with some of the world’s best actors. The Culture Show brings viewers to galleries, theaters, and concerts with both emerging and established talent.

GBH has long played a critical role in preserving history for audiences and for the public. Our Media Library and Archives ensures the long-term preservation and access to GBH’s vast archive of programming and original materials, including raw archival interviews, programs, and transcripts, which are all available through our Open Vault. GBH is also home to the Boston TV News Digital Archive, which makes available local news stories produced in and around Boston from 1960 to 2000.

In 2013, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting awarded GBH and the Library of Congress stewardship of an unprecedented and historic collection of American public radio and television content—dating back through the 1950s—to be permanently preserved and made available to the public through this collaboration as the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. By preserving these moments in our past, we honor the shared history that brings us all together.

A trusted leader in the children’s media space for over 50 years, GBH Kids produces groundbreaking content that represents multiple perspectives, makes kids feel empowered and seen, while also encouraging them to be lifelong learners. With multiple Emmy®, George Foster Peabody, Television Critics Association, Kidscreen and Parent’s Choice Awards wins, our work inspires our youngest audiences — and their caregivers — to be the best they can be.