John Farmer, Director of the Miller Center and the Eagleton Institute, said, “January 6, 2020, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in modern American history. The attempt to obstruct the lawful transition of presidential power is anathema to every foundational value we at Eagleton are pledged to protect. We are proud to have worked prior to the 2020 election, along with Congressman Denver Riggleman, and others to identify the threat posed by disinformation and conspiracy theories like QAnon, to have conducted the earliest analysis after January 6 of the social media climate, and to have seen our work recognized in the January 6 report.” Eagleton’s and the Miller Center’s commitment to continue to call out these threats is reflected in its announcement that Denver Riggleman has joined the Miller Center as a subject matter expert. Riggleman joins the research team at NC Lab at the Miller Center, which has written reports and briefed federal and state law enforcement agencies on extremist groups such as the Boogaloo Bois, one of whose leaders was recently sentenced in the plot to abduct Michigan Governor Whitmer, threats posed by radical anarcho-socialist extremists, and threats to vulnerable populations such as Asians and Hindus. The NC Lab at the Miller Center has also researched the use of hate speech on Twitter since the company’s recent acquisition. Researchers found that use of hateful and racist speech increased by almost 500 percent. This research was recently cited by United Nations experts in a statement about the tension between freedom of speech and hate speech on social media. “I got to know the work of the Rutgers team in the heat of the QAnon attack on me, and my respect for the team’s integrity has only grown over time. I am proud to join Eagleton’s effort to protect our democracy,” said Congressman Denver Riggleman. |
