News and Public Affairs

Retro Report on PBS

Retro Report makes sense of the present by revealing the past. Join journalists Celeste Headlee and Masud Olufani as they connect the present to the past through four distinct and varied stories, and New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz adds his signature wit.

The Controversy Over Teaching Teens About Sex

13m 22s

A decades-old battle is re-emerging over how sex is presented in the classroom, as the Trump administration gives support to “sexual risk avoidance” programs that promote abstinence.

Episodes

  • Return of an Infamous Pill | Full Report: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Return of an Infamous Pill | Full Report

    S1 E2 - 11m 31s

    Strict prescription drug safety regulations in place today resulted in part from the devastating consequences of a pill prescribed during pregnancy that was originally thought to be harmless. F.D.A. safety guidelines were developed after thalidomide left a trail of severe birth defects. Today, it has become a case study for rising drug prices.

  • Where Did The News Go? | Andy Borowitz: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Where Did The News Go? | Andy Borowitz

    S1 E2 - 4m 29s

    We hear a lot about fake news these days, but New Yorker magazine humorist Andy Borowitz wants to talk about another widespread phenomenon: no news. Every day on TV we’re assaulted with the empty news calories, the Pringles potato chips of news. But who was the evil genius behind this maddening trend?

  • Episode 2: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 2

    S1 E2 - 55m 15s

    Uncover crime evidence pulled from DNA websites. See how drug rules stem from a pill’s side effects. Learn.how a screen addiction cure is rooted in the past and why Americans are ambivalent about robots. Andy Borowitz objects to “no news.”

  • Could D&D Help Fight Screen Addiction? | Full Report: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Could D&D Help Fight Screen Addiction? | Full Report

    S1 E2 - 11m 23s

    Parents worry about the latest video games, like Fortnite. A generation ago, Dungeons and Dragons was the game that seemed like a menace. But in a surprising twist, its role-playing strategies are now seen as a counterbalance to the problem of screen addiction.

  • New Clues From Old Evidence | Full Report: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    New Clues From Old Evidence | Full Report

    S1 E2 - 14m 32s

    DNA information that is available on genealogy websites is doing more than satisfying curiosity. Data collected from consumer DNA tests is helping the police to close cold case files, including a long-unsolved murder from the 1980s. But their use to solve cold cases is raising new concerns about privacy protection.

  • Warning: These Ads Contain Politicians | Andy Borowitz: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Warning: These Ads Contain Politicians | Andy Borowitz

    S1 E1 - 3m 52s

    Andy Borowitz, the New Yorker magazine humorist, has come up with a simple solution to the political ads that litter our TV landscape. His short comedy videos cap every episode of Retro Report on PBS, a new series that shines a light on today by uncovering the past.

  • Athletes vs. Injustice | Full Report: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Athletes vs. Injustice | Full Report

    S1 E1 - 11m 51s

    When N.F.L. players starting with Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest police mistreatment of African-Americans, their actions ignited an uproar over injecting politics onto the playing field. Their protest had surprising ties to the silent black-power salute by two sprinters at the 1968 Olympics.

  • Episode 1: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 1

    S1 E1 - 53m 47s

    Social media’s addictive power is by design. Colin Kaepernick’s protest has ties to 1968. Women on Wall Street fought harassment decades before #MeToo.  Pythons threaten the Everglades. Andy Borowitz wants to treat political ads like cigarettes.

Extras + Features

  • Episode 8 Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 8 Preview

    S1 E8 - 30s

    Sex ed programs in schools are informed by the past; busting a crime myth; AIDS hot spots; the legacy of napster; Andy Borowitz tackles bullying.

  • Episode 7 Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 7 Preview

    S1 E7 - 30s

    Immigration controversies echo past anti-immigration backlash. Why a lawsuit over scalding coffee is misunderstood. The origin of Special Ops forces.  Risks after Challenger. Andy Borowitz examines Anita Bryant’s unintended influence.

  • The Theory of Normalization of Deviance: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Theory of Normalization of Deviance

    S1 E7 - 39s

    Hosts Celeste Headlee and Masud Olufani introduce the theory of normalization of deviance, an understanding that came from study of the Challenger disaster.

  • The Danger of Falling Back on Routine: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Danger of Falling Back on Routine

    S1 E7 - 43s

    Diane Vaughan, author of "The Challenger Launch Decision," discusses the danger of falling back on routine under uncertain circumstances.

  • When a Change of Address Changes Everything: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    When a Change of Address Changes Everything

    S1 E6 - 28s

    In this clip from Episode 6, host Masud Olufani says that Congress recently approved funding for a program to help poor families move to new neighborhoods. That’s because of new research showing that moving to a new address - sometimes just a mile or two away - can alter the course of a child’s life.

  • What Moving Meant For One Family: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Moving Meant For One Family

    S1 E6 - 59s

    In this scene from episode 6, Valencia Morris describes what happened when her family became eligible to move from public housing to a new neighborhood. "I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, how quiet it was."

  • Episode 6 Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 6 Preview

    S1 E6 - 30s

    Public housing influenced by a 1970s experiment. Newborn tests are a legacy of a boy who spent life in a bubble. Head injuries in pro sports. Too few people (not too many) is a problem.  Andy Borowitz takes on Space Force.

  • A Promising Method for Suicide Prevention: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Promising Method for Suicide Prevention

    S1 E5 - 37s

    In this clip from Episode 5, the hosts discuss a simple intervention against suicide – messages of compassion and empathy – that showed promise in the 1960s, but has been overlooked.

Schedule

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.

Similar Shows