EDITORIAL STAFF
Kit R. Roane
Kit R. Roane is a 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.
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Echoes of Nixon in Trump's War on Press
President Trump’s efforts to clamp down on White House leaks have echoes of a pattern set during the Nixon era. politics
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Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill
How a pill that led to drug safety guidelines became a case study for rising drug prices. medicine
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Online All the Time? Researchers Predicted It.
Our social media addiction is explained by theories pioneered by B.F. Skinner decades ago. science-technology
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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. popular-culturemedicine
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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? politicslaw-policy
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Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump
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. politics
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Raising Doubts about Evolution… in Science Class
A growing skepticism of science has seeped into the classroom, and it’s revived attacks on one of the most established principles of biology – evolution. science-technologyeducation
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How Special Ops Became Central to the War On Terror
As President Trump steps up the use of special operations forces, Retro Report looks at how two historic military missions -- one a legendary success, the other a spectacular failure -- helped set the stage. military
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DDT, Malaria, and the Book That Changed Environmental Debate
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. Environment
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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? environment
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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? politics
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Nuclear Winter's Forecast of Doom Still Debated Today
Carl Sagan and other Cold War scientists once feared that a nuclear war could plunge the world into a deadly ice age. Three decades later, does this theory still resonate? science-technology
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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. science-technologymilitary
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When Dreams Fly
More than 40 years ago, Pierre Sprey set out to build the ultimate fighter jet. science-technology
Mini-doc
Being in the Bubble
The curious origin of a political metaphor. popular-culturepolitics
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The Boy in the Bubble
In the early 1970s, an unusual boy captivated the nation. Now, decades later, his story continues to unfold in remarkable ways. popular-culturemedicine
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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. media-criticismlaw-policy
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Population Bomb: The Dire Prediction That Fell Flat
In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked campaigns for population control. But whatever became of the population bomb? environment
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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. military
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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. criminal-justice
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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? criminal-justicescience-technology
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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. military
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Nuclear Power's Public Opinion Rollercoaster from Three Mile Island to Fukushima
Four decades after the accident at Three Mile Island cast a shadow on the atomic dream, is America again ready to give nuclear energy a chance? science-technology
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The Battle For Busing
A story of America's school integration and what happened when the buses stopped rolling. civil-rightseducation
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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. criminal-justice
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