New York, NY, October 1, 2020 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and American University today unveiled “extremely,” a new podcast that will change the way you think about modern hate and extremism – and what it might take to stop it in its tracks.
Featuring candid, wide-ranging conversations with preeminent extremism experts, this new podcast shines a spotlight on the daily work of identifying and combatting dangerous trends, online and on the ground, while providing listeners with practical tools for fighting back against extremism and hate in their own communities.
“Expertise in extremism is only valuable when it’s shared,” said Oren Segal, host of “extremely” and Vice President of ADL’s Center on Extremism. “This podcast allows experts to share their insights and approaches to understanding and combating hate and extremism. It will change the way you think about extremism – and the people who have dedicated their lives to fighting it.”
“Extremist groups have exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice protests to mobilize followers and spread propaganda,” said Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Director of the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University. “I can’t think of a more important time to launch this podcast in order to share global expertise, research, and intervention ideas for addressing hate and extremism. But this podcast does even more—by asking each guest to talk about their own coping strategies for dealing with so much toxic hate."
The first five episodes in the series, released today on Spotify and TuneIn, feature conversations with some of the leading experts on countering extremism and hate, including:
- Vidhya Ramalingam, Founder of Moonshot CVE, a company specializing in countering violent extremism by designing new methodologies and technologies to respond;
- Seamus Hughes, Deputy Director for the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, an expert on terrorism and homegrown violent extremism;
- Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor of Education and Sociology and Director of American University's Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab
- Eric K. Ward, Executive Director, Western States Center, an organization that assists communities and civil society to effectively respond to bigotry and intolerance.
- Heidi Beirich, Co-Founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
ADL’s Center on Extremism is a foremost authority on extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate. The Center investigates and disrupts emerging threats online and on the ground, providing resources, expertise and trainings that enable law enforcement officers, public officials and community leaders, as well as internet and technology companies, to identify and counter emerging threats.
American University’s Center for University Excellence (CUE) is proud to partner with ADL on this important podcast. CUE strives to connect academic expertise with the public on areas of pressing import. This podcast is a project of the Center’s Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL).