Guide: How local journalists can cover extremism in their communities
We often talk about extremism in the national context, but the reality is that extremist organizations can gain the most ground at the hyperlocal or local level, mobilizing before a journalist can hop on the story.
A recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center classified 1,430 organizations as hate or anti-government extremist groups in 2023, nearly double that of 2021. Most of those groups are local chapters of white nationalist or anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, which have coordinated efforts to pack school boards, challenge voting procedures, and undermine democracy at the municipal level.
That’s why U.S. Democracy Day hosted Kyle Spencer earlier this month for an hourlong crash course on how local journalists can start reporting on local extremist groups. Spencer — a former New York Times contributor — uses her newsletter Reporting Right to help local reporters cover the anti-democratic forces influencing their communities.
During the training, Spencer taught reporters:
- How to identify the most common extremist organizations, who’s funding them, and the tactics they use to recruit and influence
- How to develop a clear plan for covering — and defining — extremism for your audience without amplifying misinformation or fear-mongering
- How to protect yourself on and offline while dealing with hostile sources known to doxx and harass
You can watch Spencer’s full Democracy Day training here, or bookmark this reporting guide that runs through the DOs and DON’Ts for covering extremism, courtesy of Spencer and her research assistant Alex Karger.
Watch: How to cover extremist groups on your beat
Bookmark: The DOs and DONT’s of covering extremism as a local journalist
Looking for a way to test out your newfound skills?
Consider signing up for U.S. Democracy Day, our nationwide pro-democracy reporting collaborative that encourages journalists to take big swings when it comes to covering threats to American democracy — political extremism included.
Read more from U.S. Democracy Day:
Beatrice Forman is the project coordinator for U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide, pro-democracy reporting collaborative. Contact her via email at beaformanwrites@gmail.com.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, the Independence Public Media Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
