The Overton Window and You
The Overton Window and You
Top Story: The Overton Window & You
Was the United States founded as a democracy?
Was the Civil War about slavery?
Did Martin Luther King Jr. have a net positive influence on our country?
If you are scratching your head wondering why in the world these would even be questions, let me introduce you to The Overton Window, a handy political framework for extremists and radical activists that is impacting — not just questions about our nation's history — but your beat.
Not so long ago (circa 1995) a political scientist by the name of Joseph P. Overton (working for a libertarian think tank) foreshadowed a time when positions that seemed beyond the realm of acceptable debate…or simply too anti-democratic to be considered…would become fair political game.
Once these positions enter the public conscience, the unthinkable — a presidential candidate who promises authoritarian rule, a climate-denier who generates debate about whether global warming is human-made, and an education secretary who wants to dismantle the Department of Education — suddenly becomes thinkable.
The Overton Window matters because it is ultimately a tool to radicalize government policy — on the local and national level — by manipulating news gatherers, thought leaders, and public intellectuals. The goal: get journalists to report on radical ideas as if they were normal.
In other words, if you are not careful, you can quickly become an Overton Window tool.
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More on The Overton Window
Here’s The New York Times expressing genuine concern about its impact on democracy.
Here’s Glenn Beck’s novel “The Overton Window,” based on the theory.
Here is Rachel Maddow explaining The Overton Window.
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Five Ways Not to be an Overton Window Enabler
Don’t quote sources when they cite misinformation, historical inaccuracies, or lies — even if you are trying to make a point.
Repetition is an Overton Window tool.
Do watch out for efforts by your sources to present radical, anti-democratic ideas as within the norm.
This is how The Overton Window is slowly altered.
Don’t be a repeater, be an explainer.
Changing The Overton Window is a team sport. It requires lots of actors impacting lots of influencers. Your job is to tell readers when it's in play and why.
Give context — historical and national.
When you spot an effort to shift The Overton Window on your beat, chances are this effort was generated somewhere else, by a radical think tank, national strategist, politician, or extremist thinker. Find out the origins and do an enterprise story that reports on that.
We Like
The Bulwark for its unabashed criticism of yet more Trump coverage by The New York Times to help its readers "understand" Trump.
Jonathan V. Last writes:
“This package does nothing to help readers understand the motivations of Trump voters. It merely amplifies their fact-free feelings.”
ALSO IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
Guess who went to a “segregation academy”? Yup, that’s where Nikki Haley learned her history.
They look like fishermen; they sound like fishermen. But their lawyer is not paid for by fishermen.
Trump 2.0: How bad could it be? Mother Jones says: bad.
WE’RE LISTENING TO
Straight White American Jesus, an engaging podcast that takes a deep dive into what makes radical Christians tick.
WE’RE READING
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, a compelling telling of a time when Hitler’s annihilation dreams came to America and were seriously considered.
By Rachel Maddow
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SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
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Executive Editor Kyle Spencer
Managing Editor Christen Gall
Assistant Editor Violet Murmur
Our Board of Advisors
Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability
David Armiak, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy
Lisa Graves, founder and executive director of True North Research
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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