November 11, 2011 - On this special Veterans Day Midday program, a remembrance of legendary radio dramatist Norman Corwin with a short documentary on his career, and excerpts from his masterpiece, On a Note of Triumph, which remains the most listened to radio drama in U.S. history. Later in the hour, author Tim O'Brien reads and discusses his critically acclaimed short story collection on the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried.
October 25, 2012 - Minnesotans are involved in a passionate debate about marriage during 2012 election season. The two sides began squaring off more than 40 years ago. This project draws from MPR's extensive audio archive to explore the origins of this election day showdown over same-sex marriage.
November 9, 2012 - All Things Considered presents MPR’s Sasha Aslanian report on how the Minnesotans United for All Families campaign brought down a seemingly unbeatable amendment that would have added a definition to the state constitution that marriage is only between a man and a woman (which is already state law). The defeat of the marriage amendment was a victory that was surprising, historic, and extremely calculated by gay rights supporters.
May 16, 2013 - Two people from Red Wing, Minnesota who are important figures in Minnesota history, culture and the arts are featured in separate documentaries by Minnesota Public Radio's Stephen Smith. Part 1: "Song Catcher: Frances Densmore of Red Wing" and Part 2: "Artist Charles Biederman."
July 14, 2014 - MPR Special Report presents an MPR News Investigation “Betrayed by Silence: A radio documentary,” which looks at clergy abuse, cover-up, and crisis in the Twin Cities Catholic Church as three archbishops hid the truth.
July 14, 2014 - An MPR News radio documentary, reported over the course of a year, found that Catholic leaders had protected abusive priests for decades and played hardball with victims.
September 10, 2014 - Midday presents an American RadioWorks documentary titled “Greater Expectations: The Challenge of the Common Core,” which looks at how the United States is in the midst of a huge education reform. The Common Core State Standards are a new set of expectations for what students should learn each year in school.
November 13, 2015 - MPR’s Tom Weber presents a rebroadcast of a documentary from 2014 MPR Special reporting project on climate change. It collects stories on extreme weather, warming trends, species adaptation, jet and streams.
December 20, 2016 - MPR News with Tom Weber presents a program on The Dakota Access oil pipeline, which winds hundreds of miles from the oil fields of North Dakota to a pipeline hub in southern Illinois. In 2016, it was almost entirely built — except for a section under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir just south of Bismarck, N.D. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a coalition of other groups camped out near the site of the river crossing in an effort to stop pipeline construction.
May 25, 2017 - MPR presents “74 Seconds: The Traffic Stop,” a step by step through a fatal traffic stop, which went from flashing lights to firing shots in just 74 seconds.