EDITORIAL STAFF

Matthew Spolar

Matthew Spolar is a Producer at Retro Report. He has covered a range of issues, from sports to genetics to politics, including web series looking back at the historic import of past political conventions and campaign ads. He previously covered state politics in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

Image from Putin’s Nuclear Threats Evoke Cold War Tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Putin’s Nuclear Threats Evoke Cold War Tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Russia’s recent nuclear threats have revived Cold War animosity with roots in the Cuban missile crisis. During a standoff in 1962, a tense confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union nearly resulted in a nuclear war.

Image from Midterm Elections: 1966 Midterms Signal a Realignment, Shaping Today’s Parties

Midterm Elections: 1966 Midterms Signal a Realignment, Shaping Today’s Parties

Southern voters, once loyal to the Democratic Party, elected Republican candidates in 1966 as the two parties began to sort themselves into distinctly partisan camps.

Image from Midterm Elections: How 1994 Midterms Set Off an Era of Divisive Politics

Midterm Elections: How 1994 Midterms Set Off an Era of Divisive Politics

Midterm elections, often a referendum on the sitting president’s agenda, can set the stage for future policy debates. Economic and social issues with roots in the 1994 midterms are still being debated 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 Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Media Mistakes Excerpt)

Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Media Mistakes Excerpt)

In this Emmy Award-nominated film, top national political reporters admit mistakes in their reporting on the 2016 election campaign.

Image from Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (CNN's Missteps Excerpt)

Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (CNN's Missteps Excerpt)

In this Emmy Award-nominated film, CEO Jeff Zucker acknowledges missteps in CNN’s 2016 campaign coverage, when many media outlets covered Donald Trump’s campaign as a spectacle.

Image from Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (False Equivalency Excerpt)

Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (False Equivalency Excerpt)

This Emmy Award-nominated film looks at how the journalistic instinct for “balanced” reporting on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016 played out.

Image from Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Historical Excerpt)

Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Historical Excerpt)

This Emmy Award-nominated film explores tensions between the press and presidents, charges of liberal media bias and the decline in public trust in journalism. Watch the documentary.

Image from Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Trailer)

Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press (Trailer)

In this Emmy Award-nominated film, journalists who covered the 2016 presidential campaign now offer a candid analysis of their role in President Trump’s rise to power.

Image from American Samoa Dodged a Pandemic in 1918. Here’s What We Learned.

American Samoa Dodged a Pandemic in 1918. Here’s What We Learned

Two territories, two wildly different outcomes as a pandemic terrorized the world.

Image from How Biden vs. Sanders Echoes a 1964 Republican Party Split

How Biden vs. Sanders Echoes a 1964 Republican Party Split

Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are the icons of an ideological split among today’s Democrats, echoing a similar split in the Republican party of 1964.

Image from Political Memes: The Rise of the Political Meme in Politics Today

Political Memes: The Rise of the Political Meme in Politics Today

Political memes are being deployed to share opinions, similar to how editorial cartoons were used in the past – but with one important difference.

Image from Impeached: How Presidents Handled it -- Trump vs. Clinton.

Impeached: How Presidents Handled it -- Trump vs. Clinton.

How can a president continue to govern with an impeachment trial looming? President Clinton and President Trump adopted very different strategies.

Image from Boxers Confront Brain Injuries, Their Most Challenging Foe

Boxers Confront Brain Injuries, Their Most Challenging Foe

For many boxers, once the punches stop, the real fight starts.

Image from From Napster to Netflix: The History and Impact of Streaming Services

From Napster to Netflix: The History and Impact of Streaming Services

After Napster, many consumers got used to entertainment on demand. There was no turning back.

Image from Hard Risks: Concussions in Sports, From the Boxing Ring to the Gridiron

Hard Risks: Concussions in Sports, From the Boxing Ring to the Gridiron

As concussions plague football, are there lessons from earlier concerns about boxing?

Image from The Birth of Free Agency

The Birth of Free Agency

The drama of modern free agency has become as much a part of professional sports as the games themselves. But it wasn’t always that way. Today’s free agents owe a big debt of gratitude to Curt Flood.

Image from DNA Clues Solve Crimes . . . With a Privacy Cost

DNA Clues Solve Crimes . . . With a Privacy Cost

DNA information that is available on genealogy websites is doing more than satisfying curiosity – it’s solving crimes.

Image from Athletes vs. Injustice: Protests in Sports

Athletes vs. Injustice: Protests in Sports

When N.F.L. players, starting with Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the National Anthem to protest they ignited an uproar over injecting politics onto the playing field.

Image from The NFL Draft 20 Years After Manning-Leaf: How Teams Try to Pick a Winner

The NFL Draft 20 Years After Manning-Leaf: How Teams Try to Pick a Winner

After the 1998 NFL draft produced one of the greatest busts in history, what have we learned about the science of evaluating human talent – on and off the field?

Image from Louis Armstrong And The Black Celebrity's Dilemma

Louis Armstrong And The Black Celebrity's Dilemma

As America’s jazz icon, Louis Armstrong was seen as a smiling, easygoing entertainer. But in 1957, he invited controversy by speaking forcefully on behalf of his fellow African Americans, putting him in a position familiar to many Black athletes today.

Image from What Jesse Owens's Story Tells Us About Sports and Politics

What Jesse Owens's Story Tells Us About Sports and Politics

NFL players have been derided for injecting politics into the country’s favorite sport. But, when convenient, America has also celebrated black athletes for acting as political emissaries.

Image from Upheaval at the 1860 Democratic Convention: What Happened When a Party Split

Upheaval at the 1860 Democratic Convention: What Happened When a Party Split

Some issues are too fundamental for a party to withstand, and the consequences can last for a generation.

Image from Lessons from the 2004 Democratic Convention: Obama's Speech

Lessons from the 2004 Democratic Convention: Obama's Speech

Sometimes the most important speech at the convention isn’t delivered by the nominee.

Image from Lessons from the 1924 Democratic Convention: An Immigration Debate's Impact

Lessons from the 1924 Democratic Convention: An Immigration Debate's Impact

Immigration has been a defining issue in a campaign before, and the consequences transformed the Democratic Party.

Image from Lessons from the 1912 Republican Convention: Birth of the Modern Primary

Lessons from the 1912 Republican Convention: Birth of the Modern Primary

The animosity between William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt changed the primary process forever.

Image from Lessons from the 1912 Republican Convention: Birth of the Modern Primary

Lessons from the 1912 Republican Convention: Birth of the Modern Primary

In 2016, some Bernie Sanders supporters complained that the delegate process wasn’t fair. In 1912, a battle over the primary process transformed American politics.

Image from The Birth of the U.S. Political Convention in 1831

How It Started (1831): Conventional Wisdom

In 1831, a radical third party had a new idea for selecting a presidential candidate, and it’s still in use today: the national nominating convention.

Image from Lessons From the 1964 Republican Convention: Declaring War on the Establishment

Lessons From the 1964 Republican Convention: Declaring War on the Establishment

Donald Trump’s candidacy wasn’t the first time the Republican Party was split by an outsider declaring war on the establishment elite.

Image from Lessons from the 1968 Democratic Convention: Under the Shadow of Protests

Lessons from the 1968 Democratic Convention: Under the Shadow of Protests

There are important lessons to be learned from the Democrats’ 1968 Chicago convention.

Image from Lessons from the 1976 Republican Convention: Why Ronald Reagan Lost the Nomination|

Lessons from the 1976 Republican Convention: Why Ronald Reagan Lost the Nomination|

In 1976, Ronald Reagan found owning the soul of a party isn’t the same as taking home its nomination.

Image from Smoking Man: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Smoking Man: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

In the 2012 Republican primary, Herman Cain’s campaign produced an unusual video featuring Cain’s chief of staff, Mark Block, giving a pep talk while smoking a cigarette.

Image from The Rock: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

The Rock: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

In 2007, long-shot Democratic candidate Mike Gravel released one of the strangest ads in political history.

Image from Willie Horton: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Willie Horton: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

The infamous Willie Horton ad placed a nail in the coffin of Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential run.

Image from Morning in America: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Morning in America: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Future “warm and fuzzy” ads can trace their lineage to this one. For his reelection campaign, Ronald Reagan employed a team of advertising all-stars, resulting in one of the most famous catchphrases in American politics.

Image from It's 3 A.M.: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

It's 3 A.M.: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

After a string of critical losses in the 2008 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton’s campaign put out a hard-hitting ad that questioned Barack Obama’s readiness for the White House.

Image from Daisy: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Daisy: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House

Perhaps the most famous political ad of all time, this early television spot ran on air just once, but generated enough media coverage to become a real factor in the 1964 presidential election.

Image from Leaving NFL Over CTE Concerns Made Chris Borland Football's Most Dangerous Man

Leaving NFL Over CTE Concerns Made Chris Borland Football's Most Dangerous Man

He’s been called the most dangerous man in football. Not for what he’s doing on the field – but what he’s saying off of it. A new series of original Retro Report short docs produced for Facebook.

Image from Blackout: Understanding the US Power Grid's Vulnerability from the 2003 Failure

Blackout: Understanding the US Power Grid's Vulnerability from the 2003 Failure

In 2003, a blackout crippled areas of the U.S. and Canada, leaving some 50 million people in the dark. Years later, we are still grappling with concerns over the vulnerability of our power grid.

Image from Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster

Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath and Lessons in Dealing with Disaster

Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and Louisiana’s troubled housing recovery has shaped the response to every major disaster since, including Hurricane Sandy.

Image from How Cloning a Sheep Set Off a Sci Fi Panic

How Cloning a Sheep Set Off a Sci Fi Panic

In 1997, Scottish scientists announced they had cloned a sheep and named her Dolly, and sent waves of future shock around the world that continue to shape frontiers of science today.

Image from GMO Food Fears and the First Test Tube Tomato

GMO Food Fears and the First Test Tube Tomato

In the 1990s, a bunch of gene jockeys brought the first genetically engineered food to market. The business crashed but biotech science has flourished far beyond the produce aisle.

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