An investigative project by FRONTLINE and ProPublica examines a global online network of extremists accused of promoting white supremacist terrorism on the Telegram messaging platform. This group is known as Terrorgram, and their leadership is referred to as the Terrorgram Collective.
The initiative, led by award-winning reporters A.C. Thompson and James Bandler, along with renowned filmmakers Thomas Jennings and Annie Wong, is titled “The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram.” It continues years of extensive reporting on violent extremism and online radicalization by ProPublica and FRONTLINE.
Utilizing a collection of archived posts, the reporting reveals how Telegram and similar lightly regulated platforms have served as hubs for ‘militant accelerationists’—neo-Nazis intent on using terror and violence to dismantle governments and establish new, white ethnostates, according to Thompson. He has been focusing on violent extremism in the U.S. for years and is now expanding this focus internationally with the current project.
Bandler explains that individuals on platforms like Telegram were inciting others to extreme acts of violence and attempting to ignite a race war. The investigation into Terrorgram underscores the consequences of unrestricted free speech, where influencers are able to advocate for violence or mass murder.
Telegram, in a statement, emphasized its commitment to screening postings for problematic content and stated that “calls for violence from any group are not tolerated on our platform.”
The documentary “The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram” also examines how authorities from multiple countries eventually arrested roughly a dozen individuals allegedly associated with the Terrorgram Collective.
Sociologist Pete Simi notes in the documentary that while these arrests might signal the collapse of this specific network, it is unlikely to mark the end of such extremism. He explains that new groups, possibly under different names, will likely continue to propagate this kind of extremism across various platforms, not just Telegram.
The 90-minute documentary, over a year in development, is part of a broader multiplatform undertaking that includes a series of stories from ProPublica. “The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram” is set to premiere on Tuesday, March 25 at 10 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CDT on PBS stations, with streaming available on YouTube, the PBS App, and FRONTLINE’s website.