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Retro Report is an Emmy-winning non-profit news organization that produces mini documentaries looking back on the biggest stories from the past to see how they affect today's news. The organization describes itself as a counterweight to the 24-hour news cycle. They have covered topics including the Population Bomb theory, the Tawana Brawley rape allegations, the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, the creation of Napster, the MMR vaccine controversy, the Ruby Ridge standoff, the Columbine High School massacre and the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit.
Contents
Retro Report's stories are distributed through their own website and also by The New York Times, where they are featured with an article written by longtime journalist Clyde Haberman. In a Poynter Institute for Media Studies article, Executive Producer Kyra Darnton, describes Retro Report's mission as providing, "context and perspective by going back and re-reporting and reanalyzing older stories, or stories that we think of as not relevant anymore.” In a 2014 Nieman Foundation for Journalism article, Ann Derry, The New York Times’ editorial director for video and television partnerships, said Retro Report's stories are "consistently among the most-watched pieces of video content at the Times." Since the series premiered on 6 May 2013, Retro Report has produced more than 75 documentaries.
History
Retro Report was created by entrepreneur and philanthropist Christopher Buck and is run by Executive Producer Kyra Darnton and a team of producers, reporters and editors, who come mostly from news organizations 60 Minutes and Frontline. It is organized under the umbrella of Mirror/Mirror Productions, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation.