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Retro Report is a growing series of over 175 short documentaries that tell the history behind the news.
Latest
What Happens Next
Future of Aging
Across the globe, more and more people are living longer lives and that's redefining what it means …
Perp Walks: When Police Roll Out the Blue Carpet
Perp walk: Unfair maneuver or a strong warning to would-be criminals?
What Happens Next
The Future of College
Online learning is indeed disrupting college as we know it -- but not in the way you might think.
How A Folk Singer’s Murder Forced Chile to Confront Its Past
Víctor Jara was a legendary Chilean folk singer and political activist, whose brutal killing during …
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Context for this Week

Stories that shine a light on today’s news

The Trump Administration plans to roll back Obama-era policies which aim to prevent minority children from being unfairly disciplined. We looked into the recent wave of new school discipline policies in this story.

How Zero Tolerance Blurred the Lines Between Schools and Criminal Justice

On the anniversary of Sandy Hook, what can we learn from the history of mass killings in Malaysia, and can we apply its lessons to the present?

What History Can Teach Us About Mass Killings

An accidental hyperlink caused Rudy Giuliani to tweet out the most widely ridiculed conspiracy theory of the year. Watch this story to see how this type of paranoia reached the political mainstream.

Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate
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Playlists

Fighting for Justice in Central and South America »

How A Folk Singer’s Murder Forced Chile to Confront Its Past
Argentina's Stolen Babies, and the Grandmothers Leading the Search
Separated from Parents as a Child, Argentine Man Finds his Family
Sisters Search for Lost Brother Separated by Argentine Dictatorship
The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup

The Changing Face of the War on Drugs »

Surviving Heroin
Rehab Rarely Works for Opioid Addicts. Could a Vaccine?
LSD: From 60s Counterculture to Doctor's Office
How Heroin Addiction's Rural Spread Changed an Inner City War on Drugs
From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

Race in America »

How Zero Tolerance Blurred the Lines Between Schools and Criminal Justice
Where Does the American Dream Live?
The Superpredator Scare
The Battle For Busing
The Tawana Brawley Story

Environmental Blunders and Lessons Learned »

Violence in the Amazon: Why Protecting the Rainforest is Still a Fight
The Snake That Ate the Everglades
Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone Requires a Delicate Balance
Toxic Waste in the Neighborhood: The Love Canal Disaster of 1978 is an Ongoing Mess
The New York Garbage Barge That Revealed We Have a Trash Problem

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
The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup
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 »

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

Faulty Forecasts »

From Y2K to 2038, Lessons Learned from First Computer Crisis
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
Weekly Recommended Reading
Latest Photo Essays
News and Awards