Through the Extremist Lens
are having remarkable success in pushing fringe ideas — typically based on sheer fantasy or just plain racism — into the political mainstream . Their divisive propaganda , which is being embraced by opportunistic politicians and pundits and exploited for partisan gain , is doing real damage to our country ” ( PR Newswire , 2012 ). Radical RW narratives are increasingly finding their way into mainstream discourse through a process known as “ information laundering ” in which fictionalized narratives are disguised as legitimate research on controversial contemporary issues ( PR Newswire , 2012 ; Klein , 2012 ). These false narratives are then filtered through the Internet via a series of search engines , political blogs , and social networks until they are eventually picked up by mainstream media , each successive step adding additional layers of legitimacy to the original story ( PR Newswire , 2012 ; Klein , 2012 ). Examples include claims that then presidential candidate Barack Obama was not an American citizen ; the theory that the United Nation ’ s nonbinding environmental sustainability plan is in reality a plot for global domination ; or that Muslims are trying to integrate Shariah law into the United States court system ( PR Newswire , 2012 ; Klein , 2012 ). These fictionalized narratives are written in an academic tone and presented in a professional manner to add legitimacy to their claims ( Borrowman , 1999 ). These include reputable sounding titles and research organizations , affiliations with reputable universities , citations of published works , academic credentials , professional looking formats , and links to real stories on mainstream news sites all of which serve to convince the reader that not only is the author rational , reasonable and intelligent , but that the website as a whole is a legitimate source of information ( Borrowman , 1999 ; Klein , 2012 ). The QAnon movement is a novel example in which outlandish accusations of partisan conspiracy , child trafficking and demon worship posted anonymously to message boards online gain credence by claiming to have been authored by an individual with insider knowledge of the Trump administration .
The vast , interconnected nature of the Internet allows for a wider array of information to be accessed by any given researcher and a greater number of opinions to be presented ( Klein , 2012 ). The unforeseen consequence is that the same pathways which lead to authentic information , such as Google or You- Tube , also lead to hate sites or fictitious political narratives ( Klein , 2012 ). After receiving enough attention , pundits of fictionalized narratives are invited into mainstream discourse , a prime example being representatives of the Family Research Council , an anti-gay propagandist group being invited onto various news networks like FOX and CNN 52 times in a single year ( News Networks , 2011 ). A more contemporary example is Fox News ’ engagement with and defense of the QAnon movement following the Capitol attack ( Peltz , 2021 ).
Extremism and Media
It is no secret that terrorists and media appear to be helplessly embroiled in a mutually beneficial relationship ,
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