A new “Frontline” (PBS, 10 p.m.), presented in partnership with ProPublica, issues its report on the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol, which came while reporter A.C. Thompson, who had previously investigated right wing violence in Charlottesville and infiltrated American Nazi groups, was already looking into groups from the Proud Boys to the Boogaloo Boys, when the insurrection exploded.
On a PBS press call, I asked him if he worries about the danger of being among such groups, and how he manages to earn their trust for them to get on camera.
“Yeah, it is a danger to me all the time, honestly,” Thompson said. “And it is a danger to all the journalists covering this phase, frankly. We have been targets in what these movements view as full-spectrum warfare for the last four years. And that’s just the truth of the matter. When you go to these events and protests, we are wearing body armor and helmets, and all the other journalists are, too. So, yeah, it is a difficult beat to be on.”
But as much hatred as they show for the media, he adds, “they have an attraction to it and they want to use us to get out their message. And at the same time, we want to know what is motivating them and what their intentions are and are they really going to carry out the crazy ideas that they are posting online about kidnapping people and taking hostages and overthrowing the government.
“So, it is a dance that we have to do to make sure that we are not getting played and to be careful about not giving a platform to people to espouse insane, horrible, and racist things, but also to use those interviews to show the public, these people are serious, this is actually what they believe and these are their intentions, what they would like to carry out. So, it is sort of a difficult editorial process to find that balance.”
Tonight’s report, “American Insurrection” is the first in a series of “Frontline” reports about the rise of extremism worldwide.