It was one of the biggest leaks of government secrets in U.S. history: more than 300 pages that included highly classified information from secret Pentagon assessments of the war in Ukraine, to revelations about Iran’s nuclear program, Chinese aircraft carriers and the killing of ISIS terrorists.
The leaked documents, which came to light in April 2023, were posted on the gaming and chat platform Discord, allegedly by 21-year-old Airman Jack Teixeira, who had managed to get a security clearance despite a troubled past.
What was his motivation? Why didn’t the military stop him sooner? And what was the role of Discord, a largely unregulated, secretive platform popular with teenage gamers?
Frontline and The Washington Post investigate those questions in a new documentary, The Discord Leaks, premiering Tuesday, Dec. 12 on PBS stations, streaming platforms and washingtonpost.com. From an award-winning team that includes Frontline directors Thomas Jennings and Annie Wong and Washington Post reporters Shane Harris, Samuel Oakford and Chris Dehghanpoor, The Discord Leaks draws on months of groundbreaking reporting by The Post, including access to hundreds of the leaked documents its reporters obtained. The documentary includes new collaborative reporting with Frontline revealing in greater detail Texeira’s online world, his history of violent threats, racism, and conspiracy theories. The documentary features exclusive on-camera interviews with the alleged leaker’s close online confidantes, Discord’s VP of trust and safety and a former head of the Air National Guard.
The documentary will also be accompanied by an additional series of new enterprise reporting in The Washington Post beginning Dec. 11, focusing on Discord’s history of moderation, the global fallout of the leak and more.
“Rarely have so many national security secrets spilled out so quickly as they did last spring, revealing closely held intelligence about Ukraine, China, Russia, Israel, Egypt and more. Even more surprising was the origin — Discord, a chat platform favored by young gamers with no obvious connection to national security,” said Craig Timberg, a Washington Post deputy managing editor who oversees news partnerships. “We’re thrilled to team up with Frontline to tell the remarkable story of how it all happened and why.”
“When we saw The Washington Post’s breakthrough reporting on the Discord leaks, and extraordinary access and evidence their reporters obtained, we knew that there was a unique opportunity to team up and tell this story as a documentary,” says Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of Frontline. “We are excited to partner with the Post’s talented reporters and editors to help reveal even greater depth and detail to this story, and to share the important investigation with our public media audiences.”
The Frontline-Washington Post investigation raises tough questions about how the military’s vetting process addresses applicants’ internet activity, online radicalization, how Discord polices hate speech on its platform, and why the alleged leaker wasn’t stopped sooner despite multiple red flags.
The Discord Leaks premieres Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7 pm ET at pbs.org/frontline, washingtonpost.com and in the PBS App, and at 10/9c that night on PBS and Frontline’s YouTube channel. The Discord Leaks is distributed internationally by PBS International. Subscribe to Frontline’s newsletter to get updates on events, podcast episodes and more related to The Discord Leaks. Read related, in-depth reporting at washingtonpost.com. Watch the trailer now.
CreditsThe Discord Leaks is a Frontline production with 2over10 Media in association with The Washington Post. The producers and directors are Thomas Jennings and Annie Wong. The writer is Thomas Jennings. The Washington Post reporters are Shane Harris, Samuel Oakford and Chris Dehghanpoor. The senior producers are Dan Edge and Frank Koughan. The executive editor of The Washington Post is Sally Buzbee. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of Frontline is Raney Aronson-Rath.
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 106 Emmy Awards and 31 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to learn more. Frontline is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for Frontline is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for Frontline is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the Frontline Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
About The Washington Post:
The Washington Post is an award-winning media publisher dedicated to holding truth to power through impactful and consequential journalism. WIth the mission to connect, inform and enlighten, its trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions are consumed daily by millions of readers around the world.
