Independent. Objective. Non-profit.

Retro Report is a growing series of over 125 short documentaries that tell the history behind the news.
Latest
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 …
Computer Doomsday Scenarios: Much Ado About Nothing?
Have you heard of the Year 2038 Bug? It sort of reminds us of Y2K, but will it wreak as much havoc? That remains to be seen, but while we wait, let's take a look back at Y2K.
Have you heard of the Year 2038 Bug? It sort of reminds us of Y2K, but will it wreak as much havoc? …
Trump Administration Sued for Torpedoing Enforcement of Landmark Housing Law
Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD, is being sued for not enforcing the Fair Housing Act -- landmark legislation that was passed 50 years ago during the Civil Rights era.
Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD, is being sued for not enforcing the Fair Housing Act -- landmark …
The Wildfire That Burned Yellowstone and set off a Media Firestorm
Increasingly, wildfires affect populated areas. But 30 years ago, it was a huge fire in Yellowstone National Park that stoked media attention and political controversy.
Increasingly, wildfires affect populated areas. But 30 years ago, it was a huge fire in Yellowstone …
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 …
Sign up for the Retro Report newsletter
 
Did you know that Retro Report is a nonprofit organization?

Watch the video to learn more about us, or click here to help fund new stories: Donate.
 

Context for this Week

Stories that shine a light on today’s news

The bridge collapse in Genoa has got us thinking about infrastructure in this country. So how are we doing…? Watch Crumbling Bridges: US Infrastructure 10 Years After Minneapolis

Crumbling Bridges: US Infrastructure 10 Years After Minneapolis

Alex Jones and Infowars content has been removed from Apple, Facebook and YouTube. Jones may be the best known conspiracy theorist, but many have come before. Watch….

Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate

LeBron James says Trump is using sports to divide: “What I’ve noticed over the last few months that he’s kinda used sport to kinda divide us.” This (ahem) Emmy nominated and Edward R. Murrow award winning story delves into how black athletes have protested and why.

The Black Athlete in America

Playlists

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

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
The Discredited Doctor Influencing Trump's Stance on Vaccines

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?

Race in America »

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

Badass Women »

'Why Hasn't Sexual Harassment Disappeared?'
Women's Rights Protests & the Match That Sparked a Movement
DDT, Malaria, and the Book That Changed Environmental Debate
Argentina's Stolen Babies, and the Grandmothers Leading the Search
Infamous Birth Defect Drug Thalidomide's Unlikely Comeback

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
Weekly Recommended Reading
Latest Photo Essays
News and Awards