EDITORIAL STAFF

Kit R. Roane

Kit R. Roane is a Senior Producer at Retro Report. He has worked as a journalist and documentary photographer for more than 20 years, covering local, national and foreign assignments for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report. Kit has reported on events, from the wars in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq to the Los Angeles riots, the Oklahoma City bombing, the OJ Simpson case and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. He has also written several screenplays, including one for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Image from Nuclear Meltdowns Raised Fears, but Growing Energy Needs May Outweigh Them

Nuclear Meltdowns Raised Fears, but Growing Energy Needs May Outweigh Them

Catastrophic accidents at power plants have heightened fears about the safety of nuclear energy, but environmentalists and others are giving it renewed attention as a way to fight global warming.

Image from Can Race Be a Factor in College Admissions? SCOTUS Reconsiders Affirmative Action.

Can Race Be a Factor in College Admissions? SCOTUS Reconsiders Affirmative Action.

The Supreme Court considers new arguments challenging admissions practices that colleges use to select a diverse student body.

Image from Holocaust Survivors Fleeing Ukraine Find New Home in Germany

Holocaust Survivors Fleeing Ukraine Find New Home in Germany

In Ukraine, elderly Jewish citizens threatened by the war with Russia are being evacuated. As children, they escaped the Nazi invasion. Now some are finding refuge in a most unlikely place: Germany.

Image from The Weight of Stigma: Heavier Patients Confront a Bias

The Weight of Stigma: Heavier Patients Confront a Bias

A look at how a bias on body size affects care of heavier patients, something the medical community is beginning to recognize, and do something about.

Image from Dictators and Civil Wars: The Cold War in Latin America

Dictators and Civil Wars: The Cold War in Latin America

Driven by fears of the rise of communism, the United States adopted a policy of containment, intervening in the politics of countries across the globe. In Latin America, the consequences of those efforts are still unfolding.

Image from Presidents v. Press: How the Pentagon Papers Leak Set Up First Amendment Showdowns

Presidents v. Press: How the Pentagon Papers Leak Set Up First Amendment Showdowns

Efforts to clamp down on White House leaks to the press follow a pattern that was set during the Nixon era after the publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Image from In El Salvador, a Journalist Faces New Limits. ‘We Want to Continue Shedding Light.’

In El Salvador, a Journalist Faces New Limits. ‘We Want to Continue Shedding Light.’

Nelson Rauda, an independent journalist, told us that El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, is putting the squeeze on press freedom.

Image from What's in a Number? Some Research Shows That a Lower B.M.I. Isn't Always Better.

What's in a Number? Some Research Shows That a Lower B.M.I. Isn't Always Better.

Biased ideas about a link between body size and health have led many people to dismiss unexpected scientific findings.

Image from As Massacre Survivors Seek Justice, El Salvador Grapples With 1,000 Ghosts

As Massacre Survivors Seek Justice, El Salvador Grapples With 1,000 Ghosts

“Massacre in El Salvador,” a collaboration with Frontline and ProPublica, tells the story of the worst massacre in recent Latin American history, and why a final reckoning is at risk.

Image from Why the Cold War Race for Nuclear Weapons Is Still a Threat

Why the Cold War Race for Nuclear Weapons Is Still a Threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin controls the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, and his invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that Russia, the U.S. and many other countries have thousands of nuclear missiles, even as safeguards once in place have fallen away.

Image from How the Korean War Changed the Way the U.S. Goes to Battle

How the Korean War Changed the Way the U.S. Goes to Battle

In the Cold War, North Korean Communists invaded South Korea. President Truman’s decision to intervene had consequences that shape the world today.

Image from The Cold War on TV: Joseph McCarthy vs. Edward R. Murrow

The Cold War on TV: Joseph McCarthy vs. Edward R. Murrow

In the heat of the Cold War, Joe McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade became a media sensation.

Image from How the Cold War Arms Race Fueled a Sprint to the Moon

How the Cold War Arms Race Fueled a Sprint to the Moon

After the Soviet Union sent the first human safely into orbit, the U.S. government doubled down on its effort to win the race to the moon.

Image from How a Cold War Airlift Saved Berlin With Food, Medicine and Chocolate

How a Cold War Airlift Saved Berlin With Food, Medicine and Chocolate

A Soviet blockade around Berlin cut the divided city off from the West. But in 1948 U.S. and British pilots began to fly food, fuel and medicine to the Allied sectors.

Image from Health Risks of Vaping: Lessons From the Battle With Big Tobacco

Health Risks of Vaping: Lessons From the Battle With Big Tobacco

Like cigarette manufacturers decades ago, e-cigarette makers have pitched their products as fun and safe. But nobody knows what the risks are.

Image from Why History Urges Caution on Immunity Testing

Why History Urges Caution on Immunity Testing

After past outbreaks, workers with proof of antibodies were in demand. But history urges caution.

Image from Coronavirus, Smoking, Vaping: Studies From the Past That Alarm Scientists

Coronavirus, Smoking, Vaping: Studies From the Past That Alarm Scientists

COVID-19 attacks the lungs. Past research shows that smoking and vaping may amplify the coronavirus.

Image from Do Whistleblower Protections Work? Ask This One.

Do Whistleblower Protections Work? Ask This One.

A whistleblower case from 2010 reveals the peril faced by
whistleblowers seeking to expose wrongdoing.

Image from AIDS: From Ryan White to Today's Silent Epidemic

AIDS: From Ryan White to Today's Silent Epidemic

While H.I.V. rates have fallen in many places, the AIDS crisis remains in some of the U.S.

Image from Send In the Special Ops Forces

Send In the Special Ops Forces

The rise of special operations units today can be traced to two historic military missions: one a legendary success, the other a spectacular failure.

Image from Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked talk of population control. So what happened?

Image from The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble

The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble

Newborns today are tested for genetic and immune disorders that might not be apparent at birth. The tests evolved from the treatment of a patient with a rare diagnosis who became known as “the Boy in the Bubble.”

Image from Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?

Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?

Is geo-engineering the climate an answer to global warming? Cold War science has some lessons.

Image from Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill

Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill

How a pill that led to drug safety guidelines became a case study for rising drug prices.

Image from Online All the Time? Researchers Predicted It.

Online All the Time? Researchers Predicted It.

Our social media addiction is explained by theories pioneered by B.F. Skinner decades ago.

Image from A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback

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.

Image from Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns

Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns

In the 1980s, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and the shooting of his press secretary, Jim Brady, led to the Brady Bill. Decades later, are there lessons from that fight for the Parkland students?

Image from Us vs. Them: From George Wallace to Donald Trump

Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump

Donald Trump has used populist politics to appeal to voters who are fed up with the status quo. We look at another politician who tapped into America’s divisions decades ago: George Wallace.

Image from Raising Doubts About Evolution… in Science Class

Raising Doubts about Evolution… in Science Class

A skepticism of science has seeped into the classroom, and it’s revived attacks on one of the most established principles of biology – evolution.

Image from Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement

Rachel Carson’s Warning on D.D.T. Ignited an Environmental Movement

Author Rachel Carson’s strike against the pesticide DDT turned her into both an environmental hero and a foil for those who believe regulation has gone too far. That fight is more relevant than ever.

Image from Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

In the late 1990s, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, more than two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?

Image from The Populist Politician and California's Property Tax Revolt

The Populist Politician and California's Property Tax Revolt

In 1978, voters passed Proposition 13, lowering taxes for millions of California homeowners. Decades later, what has it meant for California?

Image from Runaway Plane

Runaway Plane

For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.

Image from When Dreams Fly

When Dreams Fly

More than 40 years ago, Pierre Sprey set out to build the ultimate fighter jet.

Image from Being in the Bubble

Being in the Bubble

The curious origin of a political metaphor.

Image from From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

In the 1980s, many government officials, scientists, and journalists warned that the country would be plagued by a generation of “crack babies.” They were wrong. More than 25 years later, the media is sounding a similar alarm.

Image from He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case

He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case

The story of the first and only interrogator connected to the CIA to be convicted in a torture-related case.

For teachers: This video is part of a collection of resources including four short films, each accompanied by a lesson plan and student activity.

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

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

The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Decades later, the case continues to take surprising turns.

Image from Flawed Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Crime Lab

Flawed Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Crime Lab

Before DNA testing, prosecutors relied on less sophisticated forensic techniques, including microscopic hair analysis, to put criminals behind bars. But how reliable was hair analysis?

Image from Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

The use of the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and Vietnamese citizens.

Image from The Battle For Busing

The Battle For Busing

A story of America’s school integration and what happened when the buses stopped rolling.

Image from The Tawana Brawley Story

The Tawana Brawley Story

In 1988, the nation learned the truth about the alleged crimes against Tawana Brawley, but the shocking story was far from over.

Image from The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic

The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic

In the 1980s, images of tiny, jittery “crack babies” caused social outcry – crack-addicted pregnant mothers were prosecuted and the media warned that a generation of “crack babies” would plague our country. Turns out… they were wrong.

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