California News Site Keeps Close Tabs on the Far Right
By Michael Lovito, July 5, 2022
I was barely a minute into my conversation with Abner Häuge, the founder and editor-in-chief of the news site Left Coast Right Watch (LCRW), and we were already laughing. They took my call moments after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that Donald Trump, incensed that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him back to the Capitol as the riot unfolded on January 6th, tried to grab the steering wheel of “the Beast,” his official vehicle, and reached for one of his agents.
“It’s so great man,” Häuge said between cackles. “It’s just like a Coen Brothers movie or something.”
Hutchinson’s revelations that American democracy came perilously close to collapse may not seem like a cause for levity, but then again, Häuge, 32, isn’t your typical anti-far-right journalist. In a quest to expose and discredit members of violent right-wing organizations like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, Häuge and the rest of their staff at LCRW combine dogged reporting with an arch, irreverent tone meant to mimic the extremely online argot of far-right forums and commentators. The approach has helped the site become a go-to resource for readers and activists looking to keep tabs on an increasingly violent and extreme corner of American political life. Not bad for what Häuge describes as a group of “broke people who don’t know what we’re doing.”
Man on a Mission
Häuge’s career on the far-right beat began in 2017, while they were studying at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. In search of a thesis topic, they and a classmate wandered across campus to cover students protesting a speaking appearance by alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, a demonstration that began peacefully but eventually resulted in approximately $100,000 of property damage. Fascinated by the confrontation, Häuge decided to make a documentary about the Berkeley College Republicans, who had invited Yiannopoulos to speak at the school.
“I spent like a year going to every Thursday meeting of the Berkeley College Republicans and filming the whole meeting, just like embedding with them,” Häuge said.
Unable to find distribution for their documentary or a steady job after graduation, Häuge founded Left Coast Right Watch as a way to continue reporting on the far-right. Unsure of how to turn a profit with their writing, Häuge devoted two weeks of every month to attending and writing about far-right rallies, and spent the other two weeks driving for Lyft to cover the cost of rent and food.
Then, in 2020, a video they shot of a riot line at an anti-vaccination protest outside of the California State Capitol in Sacramento went viral, and eventually was featured on CNN, NowThis, and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” The subsequent publicity saw an increase in donations to LCRW’s Patreon and CashApp, enabling Häuge to hire a small staff and accept pitches from West Coast freelancers. Recent stories published by the site include coverage of a neo-Nazi music festival and a Phoenix school board candidate with ties to the Three Percenters.
“We basically have this beat where we can do hyperlocal stories about right wing goon squads that come in and harass people in ways that local papers can’t,” Häuge said. “We just try to get our hands on anything going on in the beat and just cover it.”
The site currently runs on donations, but Häuge wants to turn LCRW into a registered non-profit, making the site eligible for grants and opening the door to other revenue streams. This summer the site welcomed its first intern. Häuge hopes it can become a kind of training ground for young journalists looking to cover the far right as a way to neutralize its efforts.
“We really want to get in their heads”
Häuge and their staff display a fluency in the ironic, internet-native sense of humor often deployed by far-right groups to recruit members. By speaking the same language as these militant groups, LCRW seeks to discredit and embarrass them in front of their potential followers. One example is a story they published in 2021 in which they revealed that YouTuber Ryan Sanchez (aka “CultureWarCriminal,” an affiliate of white nationalist Nick Fuentes) was kicked out of the Identity Evropa Discord channel for posting “soft-core anime porn” to the chat.
“We really want to get in their heads,” Häuge said. “That’s fun. It’s gratifying. It works. You have to be at that level, because they’re trying to manipulate media, and you have to f*** with them a little bit.”
Covering the far-right isn’t all fun of games, of course. Häuge, who considers himself an anarchist, never attends a protest or rally without wearing Kevlar or body armor, and Häuge purchased a gun in response to the death threats they and his staff have received. Häuge isn’t too worried, though – after watching them closely for years, Häuge doesn’t have a very high opinion of the far right’s mettle. “They’re little cowards,” they said.
Michael Lovito is a Brooklyn-based reporter and critic whose work has appeared in Salon, Brooklyn Magazine, Pavement Pieces, and The District. He also serves as editor-in-chief of the politics and pop culture website The Postrider. @MLovito
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Abner Häuge, founder and editor-in-chief of Left Coast Right Watch with their pug Dino: They spend half their time attending and writing about far-right rallies. Häuge spends the other 50% of their work week driving for Lyft.
