Combining Forces for a Converged Investigation

PBS' "FRONTLINE," working with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times and a U.C. Berkeley graduate class on investigative reporting, has produced an investigation that explores what the producers call the new front in the war on terror: Europe.
The project, now posted online points out how Western Europe is becoming home to a rapidly increasing number of radical Muslims who have, in the past, brought terror with them.
The entire documentary will be streamed online beginning Friday.
The "FRONTLINE" Web site features extensive interview transcripts that go beyond what made air. This is one in a series of award-winning "FRONTLINE" documentaries that have been the product of cooperation between print, online and television journalists. It is a prime example of what many who touted "convergence journalism" hoped might happen -- journalism that leverages the strengths of each media to tell a more complete story than any one media could tell on its own.
Longtime investigative reporter and Adjunct Professor Lowell Bergman helped write and report. I interviewed Bergman by e-mail to find out how these remarkable projects evolve between media outlets and, in this case, a college classroom. Below is an edited version of our e-mail interview.