David Fanning Quotes

South Africa, Journalist
May 25, 1946

David E. Fanning is a South African American journalist and filmmaker. He was the executive producer of the investigative documentary series Frontline since its first season in 1983 to his retirement in 2015. He has won eight Emmy Awards and in 2013 received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in honor of his work.

Also known as Film Maker

At the heart of the best documentaries, there is a journey of inquiry - someone who travels out into the world, comes back with a story, and who then finds meaning in it, and intrigue; someone who tells you about something you never quite knew before, or in a way you hadn't quite thought about.

David Fanning
- World
- Heart
- Journey
It was January 1983 when we launched 'Frontline' on PBS with 'An Unauthorized History of the NFL.' The program was anchored by Jessica Savitch. We wanted to get attention, and we got it.

David Fanning
- History
- Attention

I don't really think of 'Frontline' as a strictly public affairs series; I think of it as a work of journalism that is constantly reinventing itself.

David Fanning
- Work
Movies, to a large extent, stand or fall on the strength of their scripts. But a documentary is a collection of found objects: fragments you've collected, accidents of interview and happenstance, pieces of stock footage that surface in the course of six to nine months of research and production.

David Fanning
- Fall
- Stock