About this season
CNN Presents is an American documentary program on CNN weekends. The program used to be replaced with CNN Special Investigations Unit, which features the same documentary format, but differs from it in a number of ways and is shorter in length. The program was originally a regular weekly series that looks in-depth in the important news stories of the times. More recently, it became a "special event" documentary that airs every time a larger, more long-term special report went into making. Notably, the program has been a winner of a number of different awards, including the International Documentary Association Best Documentary Series award. Previous to his departure from CNN, Presents was hosted and narrated by Aaron Brown. While CNN Presents was broadcast on the network, a specialized CNN Presents logo was shown in the corner without the news ticker on the screen. CNN Presents has been revived since its presentation of God's Warriors by Christiane Amanpour in August 2007, and later with Planet in Peril, Black in America, and Latino in America, all of which have received follow-up documentaries later on. In July 2011, the format of CNN Presents changed to a series of three investigative reports aired together in a one hour documentary, instead of a documentary about a single topic.
Episodes (26)
1. The Enemy Within
Aired 12 January 2002 • 60 min
The war on terrorism is most visible in the military campaign in Afghanistan, but terrorists may already be inside the United States. Some U.S. government agencies are focusing on technology to perform surveillance on suspected terrorists and their use of the Internet. But there are concerns over how the government's aggressive tactics are infringing upon the civil liberties enshrined into law.
2. Carrier at War
Aired 26 January 2002 • 60 min
In November 2001, the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis deployed on a half-year journey, leaving its San Diego home base two months earlier than planned. The men and women on board spent the December holidays at war, relieving another carrier in the northern Arabian Sea as the Stennis joined Operation Enduring Freedom in mid-December.
3. The People vs. Milosevic
Aired 9 February 2002 • 60 min
In the 1990s, Yugoslavia fought four wars and lost all of them. Its deposed president, Slobodan Milosevic, is now a prisoner awaiting trial in the Netherlands on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The International War Crimes Tribunal has accused Milosevic of personally authorizing mass murder in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo while he was president.
4. The Mystery of the Arctic Rose
Aired 31 March 2002 • 60 min
CNN's Frank Buckley examines the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel the Arctic Rose and the various theories of what caused the worst commercial fishing disaster in modern history. He also looks at the extraordinary investigation the U.S. Coast Guard mounted into the incident and the federal regulations the fishing industry faces.
5. Kids Under Pressure
Aired 20 April 2002 • 60 min
High school students across America found last week if they were accepted into the college of their choice. But the road to getting into college is a stressful one, especially for those seeking admission into elite schools. CNN looks at three high school seniors at Santa Monica High School in California, who are struggling with homework, college preparatory classes, extracurricular activities and building the perfect college application resume.
6. Fat Chance
Aired 4 May 2002 • 60 min
Six out of 10 Americans are overweight or obese, and obesity among American adults has nearly doubled since 1980. CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen examines the issue and finds that losing weight isn't the problem for many people. The problem lies in not regaining the lost weight. Cohen talks to two people who were successful in losing weight and keeping it off, and reports on research that suggests genetics may play a role in predisposing people to be overweight.
7. Scheduled to Die
Aired 25 May 2002 • 60 min
Napoleon Beazley was executed by lethal injection May 29, 2002, for a murder he committed in 1994. He was on death row in Texas, which has executed 269 people since 1982, more than any other U.S. state in those 20 years. CNN's Christiane Amanpour examines the death penalty process in Texas by following the Beazley case through the criminal justice system.
8. Hurricane! When the Big One Hits
Aired 8 June 2002 • 60 min
CNN's John Zarrella talks to hurricane experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who fears periodic shifts in the climate could lead to a major hurricane in the United States.
9. The Hunt for Eric Rudolph
Aired 15 June 2002 • 60 min
It has been six years since the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the Summer Olympics and Eric Robert Rudolph, who also committed three other bombing, remains a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. CNN's Art Harris takes a look at Rudolph's life before he became a fugitive and checks out the scaled-back search for him in the mountains of western North Carolina.
10. Deadlocked: Russia's Forgotten War
Aired 22 June 2002 • 60 min
In the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya, Russia says it is fighting against terrorism. Chechen rebels say they are fighting for independence. The outcome seems to be ongoing misery for the war-ravaged region -- a cycle of violence where brutality seems to have no limit, and surrender is not an option.
11. In the Line of Fire
Aired 20 July 2002 • 60 min
The Ford Crown Victoria is the nation's most popular police car. Yet in the last six years, gas tank fires due to rear-end collisions have killed more than a dozen police officers. Susan Candiotti examines whether U.S. police officers face an extra risk every time they get inside their patrol car.
12. War Birds
Aired 27 July 2002 • 60 min
In Afghanistan, the U.S. military employed some of its oldest aircraft. The 50-year-old B-52 bomber proved its mettle, as did the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, which entered service in 1973, and the F/A-18 Hornet. But while the venerable B-52 will remain in service, the military is beginning to phase out the Tomcat in favor of its next-generation fighter, the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
13. House of War: The Uprising at Mazar-e Sharif
Aired 3 August 2002 • 60 min
In November 2001, Northern Alliance forces captured the key city of Mazar-e Sharif. The war in northern Afghanistan appeared to be ending, but instead an uprising exploded. In a matter of days, hundreds died in one of the epic battles of the war.
14. Captured: Inside the Army's Secret School
Aired 10 August 2002 • 60 min
The U.S Army's Special Forces train extensively for combat. But they also train for the possibility of being captured by the enemy. For nearly three weeks, a CNN camera team was granted exclusive access to the surival training of 50 new Green Berets at Camp Mackall, which is part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
15. America Remembers (1)
Aired 17 August 2002 • 60 min
The people, the events, the stories of September 11.
16. America Remembers (2)
Aired 24 August 2002 • 60 min
17. 16 Acres
Aired 31 August 2002 • 60 min
On September 11, 2001, hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center and left a 16-acre hole in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Almost instantly, a debate ensued over how the land should be used. Some envision a memorial, others foresee more skyscrapers and business opportunities. CNN goes into the streets of New York City to look at the fight over the future of Ground Zero.
18. 9/11: What Really Happened?
Aired 14 September 2002 • 60 min
The terror, the tragedy, the lingering questions.
19. Showdown: Iraq
Aired 29 September 2002 • 60 min
The U.S. military once again preparing for a possible war in Iraq -- a war driven by a new policy in Washington.
20. Manhunt: Cracking the Case
Aired 27 October 2002 • 60 min
The hunt for the sniper suspects.
21. America Votes
Aired 3 November 2002 • 60 min
The pivotal 2002 mid-term elections.
22. Fried
Aired 10 November 2002 • 60 min
The dealers pitch it as the new drug -- a potent combination of embalming fluid, tobacco, marijuana and mint leaves. But its most dangerous ingredient is PCP, a chemical developed as an anesthetic but banned in the 1960s because its terrible side effects. Use is soaring nationwide and PCP-related emergency room admissions are up 80 percent in two years.
23. Showdown: Iraq - Five Questions
Aired 17 November 2002 • 60 min
While American troops train for another battle, the United States is engaged in another diplomatic showdown with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. CNN Presents examines several key questions in the ongoing story on Iraq.
24. Showdown: Iraq - War Games
Aired 7 December 2002 • 60 min
Iraq declared that the United States has no reason to launch an attack and unveiled 11,000 pages of documents that they say will prove they have no weapons of mass destruction. But the U.S. Army General Tommy Franks is preparing computer games, a war exercise that sets the stage for the possibility of war.
25. Deadline for Disclosure: Iraq to Submit Documents
Aired 9 December 2002 • 60 min
U.N. experts are about to begin examining the massive Iraqi documents. If the experts conclude that Iraq is indeed lying, it could give President Bush support to lead a military assault.
26. Al Qaeda: The New Threat
Aired 15 December 2002 • 60 min
More than a year after the U.S. assault on Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden remains at large and the al Qaeda terrorist network reemerges with a new structure and new tactics.