The spread of hate and racism — confronting a growing public crisis
People gather to protest the political right and the use of hate language during a demonstration in Munich, Germany, 2018.
In 2017, reports of hate crimes in the United States increased for the third consecutive year, according to the FBI.
In addition to physical acts, such actions and other messages of racism, intolerance and extremism potentially impact large numbers of people online.
During this live discussion, produced in partnership with WGBH and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, we discussed the spread of hate and racism and addressed several important questions.
What social, political and psychological forces drive prejudice? How do modern media and the internet enable and amplify hateful and racist messages? What are the impacts on the health and cohesion of society — and what can be done?
Related: Data — Hate crimes against Muslims increased after 9/11
This live webcast took place on Feb. 13, 2019.
Moderator:
Phillip Martin
Senior investigative reporter, WGBH News, and contributing reporter, The World
Panelists include:
Maureen Costello
Director of Teaching Tolerance and member of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s senior leadership team
Jim Doyle
Health care lawyer and former governor and attorney general of Wisconsin
Dipayan Ghosh
Pozen fellow, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Oren Segal
Director, Center on Extremism, Anti-Defamation League
David Williams
Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.
Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!