\n<\/p>\n
For years, the legacy media has uncritically pointed to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as an authoritative source on extremism, frequently relying on its designations of \u201chate lists\u201d in coverage of political and cultural issues, going so far as including Christian groups alongside neo-Nazi organizations and the KKK.<\/span><\/p>\n On Tuesday, however, the Justice Department accused the SPLC of secretly using donor money to pay leaders within white supremacist groups. The SPLC, which labels organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom as a hate group, was charged with multiple financial crimes, including money laundering and bank fraud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Prosecutors say the SPLC directed more than $3 million between 2014 and 2023 to such individuals while obscuring the transactions through accounts tied to \u201ca series of fictitious entities.\u201d<\/p>\n The charges come years after legacy media outlets have repeatedly cited the SPLC in reporting on conservative organizations and activists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The New York Times, for example, frequently refers to SPLC experts in articles on conservative figures and movements, including the late Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA was labeled a \u201chate group.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>In an article published on the day of Kirk\u2019s assassination, the Times <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> that his \u201crhetoric was long cast as racist, xenophobic and extreme by groups that study hate speech, including the Southern Poverty Law Center.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The paper\u2019s obituary of conservative activist David Horowitz also <\/span>quoted<\/span><\/a> the SPLC, which labeled him \u201cthe godfather of the modern anti-Muslim movement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Other outlets have similarly relied on SPLC reports and designations. When the conservative grassroots group Moms for Liberty was added to the list in 2023, NPR <\/span>reported <\/span><\/a>that the SPLC compared the parental rights group to \u201cpro-segregationist parent groups.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>CBS News, in its coverage, pointed<\/a> to the SPLC\u2019s claims that the group had a history of \u201charassing community members, advancing anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to scrub diverse and inclusive material from lesson plans.\u201d<\/p>\n The SPLC\u2019s designation of groups opposed to transgender ideology on kids or that hold to traditional Christian beliefs has received much coverage over the years.<\/p>\n One article from NBC <\/span>cited<\/span><\/a> the SPLC to identify groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, and the American College of Pediatricians as the core of the \u201canti-gay movement.\u201d <\/span>Similarly, the Washington Post turned<\/a> to the SPLC to label the group Gays Against Groomers as \u201can anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Groups concerned about Sharia law have also faced criticism from the SPLC. An\u00a0article from NBC <\/span>pointed<\/span><\/a> to the SPLC as a source in a report about momentum to ban Sharia law in the United States. It noted that one anti-Sharia group had been labeled a hate group by the SPLC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Guardian <\/span>framed<\/span><\/a> the SPLC\u2019s 2024 hate list as driven by people critical of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reporting in 2017 on the annual hate group list,\u00a0CNN ran a headline titled \u201cHere are all the active hate groups where you live,\u201d providing a \u201chate map\u201d that included groups that held traditional Christian beliefs. They later changed that headline to \u201cThe Southern Poverty Law Center\u2019s list of hate groups\u201d after <\/span>complaints<\/span><\/a> from conservatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n