Reporting Trump's First Year: The Fourth Estate - Season 1

As Donald J Trump takes the oath of office, the New York Times's New York and Washington bureaus prepare to cover an administration unlike any other. The role that Russia played in the 2016 election quickly emerges as a storyline that will continue to unfold, consuming a troop of investigative journalists for the year to come. In this fiercely competitive environment, the Times and the Washington Post vie for scoops, while overtaxed journalists work to develop sources inside a volatile administration. Tension boils over when the president calls the media 'the enemy of the people'. Remarkably, FBI director James Comey announces an active federal investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. Meanwhile, the paper faces economic challenges as they continue to adapt to a digital world. In a time when the news never stops, reporters scramble to break the stories vital to the future of democracy before the pace and the scrutiny break them.

Shortly after FBI director James Comey is fired by President Trump, the New York Times journalist Michael Schmidt is on to a huge scoop regarding Comey's memos about his meetings with Trump - one which will have ongoing reverberations. The appointment of a special counsel marks an important new turn in what has already been a historic year. Things are made more dire when the Times reveals details of a secret meeting between members of the Trump campaign team and a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. And there is heavy turnover at the White House, reported by star White House correspondent Maggie Haberman.

But even as the Times drives this shocking flow of new information, it continues to squarely face its own inner challenges. Advertising dollars are shrinking, digital is replacing print, podcasts are now synonymous with the paper, and Twitter is how news breaks first. The executive editor must make difficult changes that break with tradition. Can the New York Times adapt to a digital future without losing something vital in the process?

After violence erupts in Charlottesville and Trump fails to denounce white supremacists, he further stirs division by blaming the 'crooked media' for the nation's problems. At the centre of this firestorm, The New York Times continues to delve into the president's ties with Russia as its first indictments are handed out.

The Times continues to follow where the Russia investigation leads, as Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI, and the reporters dig deeper on the obstruction of justice case Robert Mueller might be building against the president. The paper takes stock of its coverage of Trump and 2018 brings both new revelations and rewards for the hard work of covering 2017.