Guide for journalists and the media on the seven fundamental tactics used by aspiring authoritarians and a framework journalists can use to discern, contextualize, and cover the tactics.
Introduction
Authoritarianism and the threat posed by antidemocratic politics look different than they did in previous decades. Democracies today tend to erode gradually and in ways that mimic typical politics or jockeying for power, rather than by explosive, easy-to-spot attacks.
The vigilance required to identify and respond to incremental decline means that the press has never been more essential in ensuring the health of democracy.
Protect Democracy’s The Authoritarian Playbook draws on guidance from leading experts on democracy to help journalists discern, contextualize, and cover the tactics regularly used by would-be autocrats to amass and entrench power.
Because democracies die in more subtle ways today, it is not always easy to tell when it is happening — much less explain it to readers…Because many contemporary assaults on democracy take forms that are legal or constitutional, they are easy to confuse with the bruising battles of normal day-to-day politics. But they are not normal. There are real and consequential differences, to which we must pay close attention. – Harvard University Professor Steven Levitsky
As part of a framework to differentiate between politics-as-usual and something more dangerous to democracy, the Playbook outlines the seven fundamental tactics used by aspiring authoritarians, including:
- Attempting to politicize independent institutions;
- Spreading disinformation;
- Aggrandizing executive power at the expense of checks and balances;
- Quashing criticism and dissent;
- Specifically targeting vulnerable or marginalized communities;
- Working to corrupt elections; and
- Stoking violence.
Contents
Introduction
How to differentiate authoritarian threats
Identifying the Authoritarian Playbook
Politicizing independent institutions
Spreading disinformation
Aggrandizing executive power, weakening checks and balances
Quashing criticism or dissent
Marginalizing vulnerable communities
Corrupting elections
Stoking violence
How to Calibrate Coverage
How significantly does this action deviate from modern precedent?
To what degree is the authoritarian playbook action happening?
Does this action present a systemic risk to democracy?
Keeping the full playing field in view
Experts
Quick Reference for Reporting on the the Authoritarian Playbook
Additional Resources on the Authoritarian Playbook
Suggestions for Journalists and Reporters
Politicising Independent Institutions
- Explain and contextualize the reasons why institutions were designed as independent, the rules and norms that have historically protected that independence, and the potential future consequences of politicization.
- Rely on experts familiar with each particular institution’s history, including former appointed officials. For example, past Department of Justice employees and professional election officials are generally effective sources on the importance of independence for those institutions.
Spreading Disinformation
- Beware of the illusory truth effect, wherein disinformation can be inadvertently spread by stories that aim to debunk it. Impressions of truth come from hearing repeated claims, regardless of context.
- Strictly avoid headlines that repeat false claims, even if contextualized, as disinformation spreads best through momentary impressions.
- Cover disinformation as a story, not just a statement. Investigate and illuminate the systems, motives, funding, mechanisms, and actors spreading lies.
Aggrandising Executive Power, Weakening Checks and Balances
- Provide context on the role of the executive branch in the governing process and how cutting out other branches and actors—the legislature, judiciary, state governments— can allow for unilateral action.
- Rigorously investigate violations of process-oriented laws designed to limit executive power, such as the Hatch Act, Federal Vacancies Reform Act, and the Congressional Budget Act.
- Avoid political intrigue stories that can, by overstating process dysfunction and conflicts, inadvertently help warm voters to executive power grabs.
- Understand the legal mechanisms, purpose, and reform agendas behind the legal checks and balances between Congress and the White House.
- Avoid uncritically covering political events and visuals that seem deliberately designed to aggrandize the presidency— regardless of who is president.
Quashing Criticism or Dissent
- Pay attention to proposed policy solutions that adopt overbroad standards and fail to consider whether targeted activities are protected fundamental rights.
- Be especially wary of efforts to silence dissent within federal, state, and local public institutions, including universities and bureaucracies. A politicized bureaucracy or state institution can become a political apparatus rather than a body dedicated to public service
Marginalising Vulnerable Communities
- Avoid narratives that present conflicts between powerful majority groups and more marginalized groups as equal or balanced.
- Contextualize stories by explaining the centrality of minority rights in sustaining self-government, and in reducing the likelihood of violence, conflict, or repression.
- Refrain from unnecessarily amplifying political rhetoric targeted at vulnerable communities.
- Provide context on how authoritarian actors seek to exclude and dehumanize populations to consolidate power.
Corrupting Elections
- Explain existing election processes and safeguards. Often, those who attempt to corrupt elections justify their actions by claiming that elections are insecure or vulnerable to fraud.
- Center election officials and non-partisan experts. Stories that primarily quote partisan actors—including election lawyers—can contribute to false impressions that all aspects of elections are already politicized.
- Illustrate the diverse ways that elections can be corrupted, ranging from voter suppression (restricting ballot access before an election) and biased electoral rules (such as gerrymandering) to election subversion (attempting to overturn or manipulate an election after the fact). Each strategy undermines free elections in different ways—with compounding implications for the health of democracy.
Stoking Violence
- Remain attentive to how political leaders’ statements are received by potentially violent actors. Politicians may offer statements with multiple messages, but the way those messages are understood matters.
- Avoid sensationalizing violent events and inflating risk perceptions.
- Explain the impact of violent events on democratic norms and processes in clear, concrete terms.
- Examine policy responses to violence for their impact on other aspects of democracy, such as civil rights or the independence of government institutions.
In an authoritarian transition, what everyone thinks is normal is the authoritarian transition. Journalists have a responsibility to ask whether they are doing enough to record the strangeness or novelty of what politicians do. – Timothy Snyder, Yale University, pg. 20
Excerpts
Here is a sneak peek of the guide.
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Explore Further
- Authoritarianism: How You Know It When You See It
Understand the key attributes of authoritarian systems, how authoritarians wield power, and ways to counter it. - Reporting In Contentious Times: Insights for Journalists to Avoid Fanning the Flames A Memo
This memo provides a brief overview of key considerations and pointers for responsible and conflict-sensitive election-related reporting. - Democracy Playbook, New Deal Forum
The document lays out, pro-democracy elected officials – of all parties – must commit to safeguarding free and fair elections. This means using technology to expand access to voter registration as well as expanding opportunities to cast ballots – including during a robust early vote period, no-excuse absentee voting, and on Election Day. This report is separated into three separate parts: Election integrity, voting and civic engagement - More Resources from the Democracy Resource Hub