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Retro Report is a growing series of over 175 short documentaries that tell the history behind the news.
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Genetic Screening: Controlling Heredity
With every new advance in prenatal genetic screening, the ability to prevent suffering has also …
Abortion Was Illegal. This Secret Group Defied the Law
We tell the story of a little known chapter in American history, before Roe v. Wade, when a …
For Private Prisons, Detaining Immigrants Is Big Business
An inmate population surge in the 1980s led to the growth of for-profit prisons. Today, despite …
Operation Ceasefire
Our latest collaboration with The New Yorker, tells the story of cops, African-American pastors, …
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Context for this Week

Stories that shine a light on today’s news

A US Treasury employee has been accused of leaking information about suspicious financial transactions related to Paul Manafort and Russians to the media. Trump gets a lot of attention for targeting leakers, but he’s just the latest president to do it. Watch How Toughness on Leaks and a Free Press Link Trump, Obama and Nixon.

How Toughness on Leaks and a Free Press Link Trump, Obama, and Nixon

Controversy surrounds plans by the U.S. Forest Service to round up 1,000 wild horses in an effort to prevent overpopulation. It’s a complex story that pits notions of freedom and the Wild West against today’s practicality. We tackled the story recently.

Wild Horse Wars: Will Overpopulation Force Drastic Action?

President Trump has resurfaced the conspiracy theory that George Soros is paying liberal protestors, tweeting that people confronting members of Congress in regards to Brett kavanaugh’s nomination are “paid for by Soros and others.” Watch this story which explores decades of conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate

Playlists

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
How Hot Coffee Landed McDonald's in Hot Water
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

Race in America »

Unraveling Zero Tolerance
Where Does the American Dream Live?
The Superpredator Scare
The Battle For Busing
The Tawana Brawley Story

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
How Hot Coffee Landed McDonald's in Hot Water
Infamous Birth Defect Drug Thalidomide's Unlikely Comeback

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
How Napster Created the 'Culture of Free'

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
Weekly Recommended Reading
Latest Photo Essays
News and Awards