Retro Report is a US
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
organization that produces short-form
documentaries
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
for historical context of current news stories.
The organization describes itself as a counterweight to the
24-hour news cycle
The 24-hour news cycle (or 24/7 news cycle) is the 24-hour investigation and reporting of news, concomitant with fast-paced lifestyles. The vast news resources available in recent decades have increased competition for audience and advertiser a ...
.
They have covered topics including the
Population Bomb theory, the
Tawana Brawley rape allegations, the
1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, the
MMR vaccine controversy, the
Ruby Ridge standoff, the
Columbine High School massacre
A school shooting and attempted bombing occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students and one teach ...
, the
McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit, and the history of black activism in sports.
On October 7, 2019, Retro Report launched ''Retro Report on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
'', a one-hour news magazine series hosted by journalist
Celeste Headlee and artist
Masud Olufani, featuring humorist
Andy Borowitz.
Retro Report's stories are published on their own website and also by distribution partners such as ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'', PBS's ''
American Experience
''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...
'',
STAT News,
''Quartz'' and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', where they are featured alongside an article by longtime
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
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
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism is the primary journalism institution at Harvard University.
History
It was founded in February 1938 as the result of a $1.4 million bequest by Agnes Wahl Nieman, the widow of Lucius W. Nieman, founder of ...
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 May 6, 2013, Retro Report has produced more than 175 short form documentaries.
History
Retro Report was created as a non-profit organisation by entrepreneur and philanthropist Christopher Buck (son of
Subway founder
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...
) and is run by Executive Producer Kyra Darnton and a team of producers, reporters, and editors, who come mostly from news organizations ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' and
''Frontline''.
[
]
Awards
*News & Documentary Emmy Award
The News & Documentary Emmy Awards, or News & Documentary Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Scien ...
s
:Nominated -- Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Report for "Future of Aging"
2019
:Nominated -- Outstanding Editing: News for "Operation Ceasefire
(2019
:Nominated – Outstanding Arts, Culture and Entertainment Report for "All in the Game: The Black Athlete in America" (2018)Gerald Loeb Award
The Gerald Loeb Awards, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was e ...
:Winner – Best Video for the "Future of Money" (2018)
* Edward R. Murrow Award:
:Winner - Feature Reporting for "Future of Gaming" in collaboration with Quart
(2019
:Winner – Best in Sports for "The Black Athlete in America" (2018)
:Winner – Regional Overall Excellence (2017)
Overall Excellence
(2014)Webby Award
The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
s:
:Nominated -- News & Politics fo
Best Overall Series (2019)
:Winner -- Sports for "All in the Game: Black Athlete in America
(2019)
:Nominated -- News & Politics for "Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns
(2019)
:Nominated -- Technology for "Future of Gaming" in collaboration with Quart
(2019)
:Winner – Film & Video - News & Politics: Best Overall Series (2018)
:Nominated – Film & Video: News & Politics for 'Why Hasn't Sexual Harassment Disappeared?' (2018)
:Nominated – Film & Video: Technology for "The Future of Money" (201
News & Politics
:Nominated – Film & Video: Trailer for "What Happens Next" (201
News & Politics
:Honoree – Film & Video: News & Politics for Best Overall Series (2017)Gracie Awards
The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...
:
:Winner – Outstanding Original Online Programming for "The Shadow of Thalidomide" (2014)
The Jackson Hole Science Media Awards
* Nominated – Best short form series for "The Code" (2018)
* Society of Business Editors and Writers: Winner – Best Video for "What Happens Next" (2018)
* National Press Photographers Association
:Recognized in the Best Photojournalism Competition for photos take in India (2016)
References
External links
*
* {{YouTube, playlist=PL4CGYNsoW2iAOqPtxm4RHo205w_R1IWuH, title=Retro Report for The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
.
American journalism organizations
Webby Award winners
Edward R. Murrow Awards
2019 American television series debuts
2019 American television series endings
PBS original programming