Mark Potok
Encyclopedia
Mark Potok is a spokesman and director of publications and information for the Southern Poverty Law Center
(SPLC) in Montgomery, Alabama
, a nonprofit organization that arose from the anti-segregation movement to counter extremism
and hate crime
s.
He is the editor of quarterly investigative journal Intelligence Report. He has testified before the United States Senate
, the United Nations
High Commission on Human Rights and in other venues. The son of Joan and Andrew Potok, he grew up in Plainfield, Vermont, and studied at University of Chicago
(from 1974 to 1978). He spent almost 20 years as reporter at several newspapers, including USA Today
, the Dallas Times Herald
, and the Miami Herald.
The Intelligence Report received the 2007 Investigative Award part of the UTNE Independent Press Awards.
He has appeared frequently on the Democracy Now!
show.
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
(SPLC) in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, a nonprofit organization that arose from the anti-segregation movement to counter extremism
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
and hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
s.
He is the editor of quarterly investigative journal Intelligence Report. He has testified before the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
High Commission on Human Rights and in other venues. The son of Joan and Andrew Potok, he grew up in Plainfield, Vermont, and studied at University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(from 1974 to 1978). He spent almost 20 years as reporter at several newspapers, including USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, the Dallas Times Herald
Dallas Times Herald
The Dallas Times Herald, founded in 1888 by a merger of the Dallas Times and the Dallas Herald, was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and two George Polk Awards, for local and regional reporting...
, and the Miami Herald.
The Intelligence Report received the 2007 Investigative Award part of the UTNE Independent Press Awards.
He has appeared frequently on the Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
show.
External links
- National radio/TV interview with David Pakman about anti-gay hate groups
- A podcast interview with Mark Potok, SPLC Intelligence Report director, about anti Latino hate groups
- Voices on Antisemitism Interview with Mark Potok from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- "When Right-Wing Extremism Moves Mainstream", an interview of Mark Potok on "Fresh Air" from WHYY, NPR, March 25, 2010, explaining the growth of hate groups in the United States