Networking Against Democracy
Networking Against Democracy
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Top Story: Networking Against Democracy
We all love networks — except when they work against the common good.
Sadly, extremist networkers do just that.
They gather to make plans for the future of the communities we cover with a focus on what works for them (and not on what voters want.) And they most often do it behind closed doors.
Right now, some of these networkers are trying to:
Their unpopular plans only become news, when signs of their success begin to surface. (Dobbs Ruling: don’t you wish you’d seen that coming?)
What if we worked harder to tell our readers what those networkers were doing, beforehand?
Four tips for covering networks that don’t want your readers to think too hard about their plans.
Name names.
When reporting on local efforts to ban books, or limit voting, etc. make sure to find out what groups are behind the efforts. Report that.
Money is the clue.
Once you know what groups are behind various efforts, find out who funds them. Report that.
Ambitious networkers always have long-term plans. Find out what they are. Report that.
Local is national. National is local.
Savvy networkers do what scales. It’s efficient and helps them get more done in less time. If ambitious, well-funded networks you know are working in a neighboring state, county, town or school board near you — to curb voting, or ban books, elect extremists, or spread lies about the environment — they are likely heading your way, soon. Find out what they are doing nearby. Report that.
We’re Watching
Frontline…because nobody reports on nefarious networks better.
Learn about networks:
ALSO IN THE NEWS
Constitutional Conventions — Florida flags its support.
More from Florida —DeSantis and his network of billionaires.
Frozen embryos are people, says Alabama Supreme Court.
WE’RE READING
“Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right”
By journalist Anne Nelson — an insider look at the networker's network, a secret organization that every journalist ought to know a lot about.
WE’RE HUMBLED BY
Mitya Aleshkovsky/ Flickr
Alexei Navalny (June 1976 – February 2024)
COMIC RELIEF
The Daily Show
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SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
Our Staff
Executive Editor Kyle Spencer
Managing Editor Christen Gall
Our Board of Advisors
Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability
David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy
Connor Gibson, founder of Grassrootbeer Investigations
Maurice Cunningham, retired associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and author of Dark Money and The Politics of School Privatization.
Isaac Kamola, associate professor of political science at Trinity College, founder of Faculty First Responders and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe distinguished professor of history and public policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America
Ralph Wilson, founder of the Corporate Genome Project and co-author of Free Speech and Koch Money, Manufacturing a Campus Culture War
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