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Retro Report is a growing series of over 150 short documentaries that tell the history behind the news.
Latest
Anita Hill Testified in 1991. But How Much Has Changed?
Accusations by Professor Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Brett Kavanaugh in his Supreme Court confirmation hearing, have us looking back at Anita Hill's 1991 testimony and our interview with her last year.
Accusations by Professor Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Brett Kavanaugh in his Supreme Court …
A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback
How do some companies regain public trust after something goes seriously wrong, while others fail? A look at how Tylenol responded after someone spiked its pills with poison in the 1980s sheds some light.
How do some companies regain public trust after something goes seriously wrong, while others fail? A …
How Supreme Court Confirmations Became So Bitter: From Bork To Kavanaugh
Will Brett Kavanaugh answer any questions? He may not -- and it all goes back to the bitter hearings over Judge Robert Bork, which forever changed how nominees answer questions.
Will Brett Kavanaugh answer any questions? He may not -- and it all goes back to the bitter hearings …
Wild Horse Wars: Will Overpopulation Force Drastic Action?
The decades-long quest to save wild horses has run amok, creating a problem that even swooping helicopters, aging cowboys, camera-savvy activists, and millions of dollars can’t solve.
The decades-long quest to save wild horses has run amok, creating a problem that even swooping …
Biosphere 2: A Faulty Mars Survival Test Gets a Second Act
NASA isn't the first organization to experiment with living on Mars -- in 1991 eight people sealed themselves inside a giant glass biosphere to practice space living. By the time they emerged two years later, they had "suffocated, starved and went mad."
NASA isn't the first organization to experiment with living on Mars -- in 1991 eight people sealed …
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Context for this Week

Stories that shine a light on today’s news

An orca in the Pacific Ocean went missing last week amid efforts to provide her medical care. She was found, but the incident invokes memories of Keiko, of Free Willy fame, whose quest to re-join the wild failed to produce a real-life Hollywood ending.

Freeing Willy

From Roe v. Wade to The Handmaid’s Tale, the fight over women’s bodies continues to resonate. As Democrats press Brett Kavanaugh on his positions toward the landmark abortion rights law, we revisit how the fight has evolved since the 1970s.

Women's Rights Protests & the Match That Sparked a Movement

The Washington Post is reporting that Russian trolls are spreading misinformation about vaccines. In this story we trace the history of public perception surrounding vaccinations, and examine what role the media has played in perpetuating unfounded fears.

Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism

Playlists

Pop Culture Panics »

Computer Doomsday Scenarios: Much Ado About Nothing?
D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic
When Politicians Blame Bad Behavior on Pop Culture
Why Pinball Was Banned for Decades
Napster: Culture of FREE

Falsely Accused? »

The Nanny Murder Case: Shaken Baby Syndrome on Trial
He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case
A Mother, a Dingo and an Australian Media Frenzy
Wrongly Accused of Terrorism: The Sleeper Cell That Wasn't
Richard Jewell: The Wrong Man

When The Press Gets It Wrong »

The Outrage Machine
Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism
A Mother, a Dingo and an Australian Media Frenzy
Taking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee Case
Richard Jewell: The Wrong Man

Guns in America »

Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns
Growing Up With School Shootings: Life After Columbine
Lessons from Columbine About School Shootings and Media Misinformation
Why Waco is Still a Battleground in the 2nd Amendment Debate
How the Shootout at Ruby Ridge Resonates in the Gun Debate Today

Retro World »

How Special Ops Became Central to the War On Terror
Argentina's Stolen Babies, and the Grandmothers Leading the Search
He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case
A Mother, a Dingo and an Australian Media Frenzy
A Search for Justice

Crime & Punishment »

How Heroin Addiction's Rural Spread Changed an Inner City War on Drugs
SWAT: Mission Creep
Flawed Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Crime Lab
The Superpredator Scare
Crime and Punishment: Three Strikes and You’re Out

Staff Favorites »

How Toughness on Leaks and a Free Press Link Trump, Obama, and Nixon
The Boy in the Bubble
Go or no Go: The Challenger Legacy
The New York Garbage Barge That Revealed We Have a Trash Problem

Award Winning »

Future of Money
A Search for Justice
Go or no Go: The Challenger Legacy
Taking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee Case
Infamous Birth Defect Drug Thalidomide's Unlikely Comeback

Viewing Trump's Presidency Through a Historical Lens »

Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump
Trump’s Immigration Rhetoric Echoes a Bitter Fight in the 90s
How Toughness on Leaks and a Free Press Link Trump, Obama, and Nixon
Sanctuary Cities: Trump Renews an Uproar That Began Long Ago
Trump, Vaccines and the Man Fueling the Controversy

Faulty Forecasts »

Nuclear Winter's Forecast of Doom Still Debated Today
From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned
Population Bomb: The Dire Prediction That Fell Flat
Power Line Fears
Y2K: Much Ado About Nothing?
Weekly Recommended Reading
Latest Photo Essays
News and Awards