In the heat of the Cold War, Joe McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade became a media sensation.
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.
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No Second Term: Presidents Who Weren’t Re-Elected
The inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden this week marked a political milestone: Barring a 2024 bid, former President Trump is the 10th American president to try and fail to win election to a second term. Here are the others in that club: John Adams and John Quincy Adams: Elder John was one of America’s […]
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Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press
In this hour-long film, nominated for two 2021 Emmy Awards, journalists who covered Donald Trump during the 2016 race for the White House critique their role in the former president’s rise to power.
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Philadelphia’s Divisive Mayor Rizzo, In His Own Words
A statue of Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia’s former police chief turned “law-and-order” mayor, was taken down from across City Hall this week after years of complaints that it was a monument to brutal, racist policing. In recent weeks, it was again a rallying point for protesters, this time in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in […]
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Covid-19, Like Other Real-World Events, Has Changed Sports
The NBA is looking to resume play as LeBron James and others emerge from Covid-19 quarantine. In order to allow players proper rest after this extended season, some say these lost months due to the pandemic could force a radical schedule change moving forward — turning the NBA into largely a summer sport from now […]
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American Samoa Dodged a Pandemic in 1918. Here’s What We Learned.
Two territories, two wildly different outcomes as a pandemic terrorized the world.
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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.
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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.
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Boxers Confront Brain Injuries, Their Most Challenging Foe
For many boxers, once the punches stop, the real fight starts.
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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.
