Far-right radio and the fight for American democracy

On the Jan. 6 episode of Steve Bannon’s show War Room, the message is clear:

“Trump won. And Biden’s illegitimate. And you’re just gonna have to live with it, okay? Because we’re not backing off one inch.”

Right-wing talk radio and podcasts have influence and reach. For their audiences, the Jan. 6 insurrection was just the beginning.

“To them, Jan. 6 was just the start in an ongoing fight to wrest the country away from those they believe have stolen from them,” The Bulwark’s Tim Miller says.

Today, On Point: We explore what far-right radio and podcasts are telling Americans about their own democracy.

Guests

Tim Miller, writer-at-large at The Bulwark. Author of the recent piece “I Spent Insurrection Week Listening to Steve Bannon.” Host of Not My Party on Snapchat. (@Timodc)

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor of law and criminology at American University and director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL). Author of “Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right.” (@milleridriss)

Communities can visit this link for more information on PERIL.  

From The Reading List

The Bulwark: “I Spent Insurrection Week Listening to Steve Bannon” — “For three hours every day, the Republican coup plotters who inspired the domestic terror attack at the U.S. Capitol last year gather to discuss their next move.”

New York Times: “America’s Most Urgent Threat Now Comes From Within” — “For many Americans, the events of Jan. 6 brought the issue of domestic violent extremism to the fore.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2022 NPR]