Washington Post Admits SPLC ‘Undermined Credibility’ with ‘Blunders’

A feature in the Washington Post takes a swipe at the embattled Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), one of the country’s most well-funded “anti-hate” organizations. The piece highlights the group’s recent “blunders,” including its failed attempt to brand moderate Islam critic Maajid Nawaz and HUD Secretary Ben Carson as “extremists.”

The Post, despite its largely left-wing editorial line, admitted that the SPLC’s reputation has taken a hit in recent years thanks to its overzealous adding of conservative groups to its “hate list”:...

The rest of the piece, which can be read in full at the Washington Post, takes a deep dive into the SPLC’s allegations of “hatred” and “extremism” against mainstream conservative groups, including the Family Research Center and the Center for Immigration Studies...

Despite the length of the piece, the Post fails to mention other egregious blunders from SPLC, such as its decision to brand Somalian-Dutch activist and female genital mutilation survivor Ayaan Hirsi Ali an “anti-Muslim extremist” and “propagandist.” Hirsi Ali, a self-described feminist, subsequently published an article slamming the SPLC in the New York Times. 

The left-wing Post concession that the SPLC has been overzealous in its attempts to brand critics of progressive identity politics, Christian groups, and advocates for limited immigration as “hateful” or “extremist” is likely to add to the pressure on businesses and organizations that use the SPLC as a source of advice....

CAIRCO Research

Learn more about the SPLC - Southern Poverty Law Center hate group