Tips for Covering Anti-Democratic Extremism in the United States
The United States has seen its fair share of anti-democratic extremism since former President Donald Trump rejected the results of the 2020 general election and subsequently filed lawsuits and incited a mob to riot at the Capitol building on the day the results were certified by Congress. American democracy has since seen a number of attacks by GOP legislators, GOP candidates, and a number of state GOP officials.
The scope of these efforts can seem unclear or overwhelming, but a coalition of anti-democratic laws and upcoming court cases designed to make voting harder or more uncomfortable, to criminalize or make mail-in voting harder to do, or to upend the will of the people completely in favor of the legislators certifying the results are aimed at rigging the system in favor of the GOP. How can journalists participate in exposing these anti-democratic efforts?
BE THOROUGH BUT CONCISE
The GOP is launching a coordinated effort to retain power across the United States via a combination of tactics. Each tactic is designed to layer in control at both the state and federal level by disenfranchising voters or subverting the will of the people by installing judiciary members who are loyalists or else are staunchly on their side. These tactics must be covered and exposed for exactly what they do, their ramifications, and their consequences on upcoming elections.
IT’S NOT NECESSARY TO “BOTH SIDES” THE STORY, BUT IT’S NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON AT FAULT EITHER
It’d be easy to blame Trump for poor leadership, particulary as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on Americans’ lives. However, Donald Trump isn’t the only anti-democratic force at work. That being said, there is no valuable argument against democracy that you should be holding up as equal to a democratic value. Provide context as to where these anti-democracy views have come from, but they should not be given equal validity.
SAVE ALL EVIDENCE
The internet is a fickle place, and especially when dealing with anti-democracy entities, you do not know what sources are going to be available and for how long before they are censored. Download your evidence and save it somewhere hidden on your phone for future reference.
DO NOT REFER TO THE GOP AS “THE AMERICAN TALIBAN” OR THE LIKE
The current wave of anti-democracy extremism that has embroiled the GOP has drawn parallels to historic hostile takeovers of democracies such as Nazi Germany and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Historical context and parallels are helpful, but labeling the GOP as something other than American fascism is inaccurate and carries insensitive overtones.
BE CAREFUL WHICH INFORMATION YOU’RE AMPLIFYING
Diving into those conspiracy theories and upholding them with any sort of value is against the point of what we do as journalists; conspiracy theories are based on lies or major information distortions, and it is our job to help the public see the truth by shining a light on where that misinformation comes from.
The conspiracy theories did not just gestate and emerge from the void—plenty of major tech companies looked the other way while rampant misinformation spread. Not only that, but the ability of people to congregate in online forums wherein the flow of information is not regulated at all stoked the flames of several far-right conspiracy movements, such as QAnon and the Oath Keepers, that were present on January 6. Legislators who refuse to make policy surrounding the flow of information on the internet largely align with the GOP.
Despite this being a scary time for the United States and its now-fragile democracy, journalists can ensure that the flow of information remains truthful and clear by making the movement as transparent and plain to the public as possible. Helping the public understand their role in keeping American democracy alive may very well save it in the long run.
