| No Images? Click here   Shane Bauer, a reporter for Mother Jones, has gained a reputation for going undercover as a journalist, first as a prison guard at a private prison and also with a border militia. Most recently he attended a protest in Berkeley, California, where he embedded with the white supremacists who attended the protest. Bauer says he wants “to see what these guys are like when they don’t think anyone is watching.” We talked to Bauer by phone on Wednesday about how he goes undercover and why. How did you come to this type of journalism? I started as a journalist in the Middle East, stringing for newspapers. When I lived in Iraq, it helped to blend in, especially outside the Green zone. I would wear clothes that looked discreet. I learned the practice of hanging back as much as possible. I was also a photographer. It’s definitely a different approach because it’s hard with a big camera, but I learned to be as unobtrusive as possible. I’d let the world unfold. Why take this approach? When I was with the border militia I wanted to see what these guys were like when they didn’t think anyone was watching. I was interested in their relationship with the federal border patrol and going in there I saw that in a way I wouldn’t otherwise. In Berkeley I wasn’t necessarily trying to pose as someone on the far right. I had my camera out, but I I tried to have a low profile. I interviewed people sometimes. Mostly I let people talk. What kind of precautions do you take? I used to be a war reporter, and there is almost a logic to the way the violence plays out in various conflicts. You quickly learn what it is; you can see it coming. You can decide how to position yourself. In Berkeley when it got violent, I hung back. But then I realized no one was paying attention to me; having a camera out made me a neutral party. I realized it seemed like people would leave me alone. So I got in closer. Still there were rocks flying through the air. It’s also a personality thing. When things get chaotic or tense I become grounded and calm. That was an advantage for me when I was working in the prison. Even when people were threatening to riot, I was able to stay calm and be aware and do my job capturing everything as a journalist by really soaking it all in. What’s most challenging? When someone is giving a Nazi salute I have to be quiet and take a photo. I don’t react. I let people do their thing. I document, but sometimes that is challenging – when there is so much energy. What’s most surprising? How much people will say when they know they are talking to a journalist. Or when I ask to take their picture and they give a Nazi salute. When I did the militia story, I assumed the people there would be upset about it, but most of the comments were positive and they liked the story and thought it represented them well. I want people to think I am fair and accurate. I also want everyone else reading it to see and get a glimpse of that crazy world.       The three can't-miss must reads this week  How The Downfall of Bill O’Reilly Could Not Have Happened Without The Election of Donald Trump
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Sunday, April 23, 2017
He went behind the lines with the far-right agitators who invaded Berkeley
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