Preview of MacNeil's Return to PBS and His Upcoming Autism Series

For the first time in more than 15 years, Robert MacNeil is returning to the program he co-founded, with a major series of reports on "Autism Today." The subject that drew him back is one that resonates deeply with his own family and many others. Robin's six-year-old grandson, Nick, has autism.
The six-part series, "Autism Today," will air on the PBS NewsHour beginning April 18. It's the most comprehensive look at the disorder and its impact that's aired on American television in at least five years. For more than a year, Robin has been researching and preparing these stories. He and his producer, Caren Zucker, have been criss-crossing the country producing the reports for the past five months.

MacNeil to Return to "NewsHour" for Autism Series

Veteran journalist Robert MacNeil will return to the "PBS NewsHour" in April for a six-part series of reports on autism, the program said Tuesday.
The series will mark the first time Mr. MacNeil, who stepped down as the program’s co-anchor in 1995, has reported for the "NewsHour" in a decade, although he has continued to do occasional work for PBS in recent years, and excerpts of some of those programs have aired on the newscast.
What drew him back for the autism reports was a personal tie; his 6-year-old grandson Nick has autism, "NewsHour" said in a release, adding that it was the first time in Mr. MacNeil's five decades as a journalist that he has chosen to bring his own family into a story.