On March 30, the Strauss Center hosted Tess Owen, Senior Reporter at VICE News, for a conversation on the role of journalists reporting on domestic extremism. This webinar was a part of our Brumley Speaker Series and moderated by Brumley Fellow Brianna Kablack, Master of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Tess Owen began the talk with an overview of her reporting on social movements, hate crimes, and extremism. She discussed her career trajectory, and how her coverage of mass casualty attacks and gun violence led to her current focus on extremism. Tess detailed what she calls “suit and tie” extremists who use commonplace political rhetoric to recruit new members and increase their legitimacy. Tess and Brianna spoke about catalyzing events that have accelerated the process of fringe beliefs becoming mainstream, such as the 2017 Charlottesville rally and events throughout 2020 including coronavirus, Black Lives Matter protests, and the Stop the Steal movement. Tess also detailed the impact social media has on extremist movements, and how the recent emergence of new platforms willing to host harmful content further complicate efforts to curb online radicalization.
Additionally, Tess and Brianna discussed the logistical difficulties of reporting on extremist movements, including the involvement of law enforcement, personal security, and the use of social media. Tess also described her process for selecting stories to report on, which is largely data-driven depending on current threats, trends, and real-world events. Finally, Tess and Brianna discussed what policymakers can learn from journalists reporting on the ground. Tess views the grey area between extremism and mainstream beliefs as particularly concerning, and highlighted the need to understand the societal and cultural elements that contribute to violent extremist movements.
Biography
Tess Owen is a reporter with VICE News covering extremism, hate crimes, and guns. Since joining VICE in 2015, she has written extensively about white supremacy, the militia movement, and the intersection of extremism and mainstream politics. She is a two-time winner of the Newswomen Award for Investigative Reporting.