Not only does PRA produce our own high quality, rigorously fact-checked, and peer-reviewed research, we also provide up-to-date tools and expert analysis for news outlets and journalists. For example, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, PRA and a coalition of movement groups convened a national advisory group to monitor and strategize against right-wing sheriffs targeting key geographies including Pinellas County (Florida); Gwinnett County (Georgia); Erie County (New York); and Alameda, Orange, and Contra Costa counties (California). As part of this initiative, PRA launched interactive digital tools that map the 500+ Right-wing sheriffs nationally. Over the last two years, this work has garnered broad public attention, including staff working with the research teams of media outlets like VICE and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to inform their reporting and focus attention on how these movements are advancing beyond individual incidents of “hate crimes” and violence. PRA has also provided support for news media with the Blitzwatch project, an informational database that exposes Project Blitz—the Congressional Prayer Caucus’s model bill playbook strategy—and tracks Blitz legislation across the nation.
Beyond the tools we offer, PRA is frequently contacted for quotes and background research by major news outlets. In 2020 alone, PRA had over 65 media mentions in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Nation, and researchers provided nearly 50 background interviews for journalists.