
Frontline
Season 0, Episode 681
Episode Title: Big Sky, Big Money
Air Date: 2012-10-30
Overview:
In 2010, the Supreme Courtβs Citizens United decision changed the landscape of campaign finance in America. The decision held that political spending is a form of protected speech and let corporations and unions spend unlimited amounts of money in campaigns. But to avoid corruption, the court said the money canβt go directly to candidates; it has to go to independent outside groups. What did that mean in reality? The 2012 documentary Big Sky, Big Money, from FRONTLINE and APMβs Marketplace, offered an on-the-ground look. With that yearβs election cycle underway, correspondent Kai Ryssdal traveled to Montana, a battleground over campaign finance at the time, and uncovered startling new evidence of outside interest groupsβ influence on local campaigns.