New Episodes Of National Geographic Channel’s THE FINAL REPORT Offer Fresh Insight On Headline Events Of Our Time
Go Beyond the Initial Media Glare of Iconic Events Including Watergate, the O. J. Simpson Trial, Columbine Massacre, Ruby Ridge Standoff, Bombing Over Lockerbie and Clinton’s Impeachment
They are front-page news events that still conjure stark memories and incite consuming debate. But after the initial glare of media attention has faded, stories continue to unfold with ongoing investigations, trials and fresh testimony, new reasoning and even final clearing of consciences. National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) critically acclaimed series THE FINAL REPORT returns with new episodes, answering some of the most pressing questions behind these headline-grabbing events of our lifetime. Drawing from a wide range of sources, including interviews with experts, investigators, eyewitnesses and survivors, THE FINAL REPORT presents a comprehensive and compelling perspective.
New world premiere episodes include the following:
The Final Report: Standoff at Ruby Ridge
Tuesday, March 13, at 9:00 PM ET/PT
August 1992. On a remote ridge in northern Idaho, federal agents surround Randy Weaver and his family in their rural, mountaintop cabin. After U.S. marshals attempt to arrest Weaver and incur a casualty, the FBI launches a military-like siege of the cabin and institutes a controversial shoot-on-sight policy. Weaver, a father of four and a former Green Beret, refuses to surrender. After an 11-day standoff, three people are dead: U.S. Marshal William Degan; Weaver's wife, Vicki; and their 14-year-old son, Sam. The incident led to one of the most intensive reviews of the FBI. Who fired first? And how did events at Ruby Ridge spiral out of control? Go inside the sequence of events with varying perspectives from Randy Weaver and his daughter, U.S. marshals, FBI snipers and the negotiator on the scene.
The Final Report: O. J. Simpson Trial
Tuesday, March 13, at 10:00 PM ET/PT
Following the recent cancellation of O. J. Simpson’s controversial book and related television special, The Final Report takes viewers back to the night Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman were murdered, and re-examines the case as it unfolds. From the infamous white Bronco chase to the criminal trial and acquittal, this episode of THE FINAL REPORT goes beyond the Hollywood media circus by examining the criminal justice system, legal strategies, racial politics and the Los Angeles Police Department’s methods. What did the crime scene indicate about the killings? Why wasn’t evidence from the Bronco chase presented in court? Did the jury and television viewers see the same trial? Get insight from reporters following the story, the LAPD, law professors and the L.A. district attorney’s office.
The Final Report: Bombing Over Lockerbie
Tuesday, March 27, at 10:00 PM ET/PT
December 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing everyone on board. Investigators suspect terrorism and are soon following a trail of clues recovered from a debris field spread over 845 square miles. Minuscule pieces of evidence lead detectives across the globe and ultimately, to the African nation of Libya. Why would Libyans want to bomb an American airliner? And why did the United States choose diplomacy over a military response? The FBI, Scottish investigators, reporters on the case and family members of those killed add insight nearly two decades later. THE FINAL REPORT looks at the amazing detective work and political maneuvering that produced two indictments in the case and a conviction.
The Final Report: Columbine
Tuesday, April 3, at 10:00 PM ET/PT
It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history: the Columbine High School massacre. On April 20, 1999, two teenage students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, carried out a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado killing 12 students and a teacher, and wounding 24 others before committing suicide. Did they have a methodical plan? What warning signs were missed? As the eighth anniversary of this tragic day approaches, THE FINAL REPORT investigates the full story with the help of former students, journalists, FBI special agents, the district attorney and the killers’ own diaries and home videos.
The Final Report: Watergate
Tuesday, April 10, at 10:00 PM ET/PT
On May 28, 1972, five burglars many of them ex-CIA agents broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., to plant listening devices. It was the beginning of a political scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. THE FINAL REPORT peels back the layers of the Nixon administration’s two-year struggle to contain the scandal at any cost. The show also reveals how Woodward and Bernstein, two young and tenacious Washington Post reporters, unraveled the tangled trail of illegal tactics and the president’s own involvement. First-person insights include G. Gordon Liddy, who oversaw the burglary; former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee; CBS News reporter Leslie Stahl; and former members of the Nixon administration.
The Final Report: Clinton Impeachment
Tuesday, May 1, at 10:00 PM ET/PT
As former First Lady Hillary Clinton continues her quest for the White House and looks to put her husband’s impeachment behind her, THE FINAL REPORT looks back at the most troubling days of his presidency. THE FINAL REPORT answers some of the most pressing questions about the time in 1998 when President Clinton was accused of lying under oath about a sexual relationship with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky. After an independent counsel investigation, President Clinton became the second president in American history to be impeached. Were his actions criminal, and did they warrant the series of events they unleashed? Now, with the perspective only time can offer, hear from White House staff and members of Congress on this front-page scandal and its impact years later.
