This story was written and reported by MacLean Gander, with reporting and research assistance from Lucas Sillers. It was edited by Jeff Potter.
Our report is based heavily on information provided by three individuals involved in the antifa movement, initially in response to an email received by The Commons in December. Two of the sources who replied to our response to their overture identified themselves as associated with Northeast Antifa; one says he is from Massachusetts and the other from Brattleboro. The third says he is not associated with NEA and operates on a more national level.
The clandestine nature of these sources and movements like Antifa is a challenge for any newsroom seeking to authenticate its content. The Commons exerted a great deal of attention to verifying the credibility and consistency of the information, conducting 10 hours of interviews with antifa sources and also conducting extensive research into information on social media, as well as interviewing several other sources.
For us, one of the most intriguing parts of this story is the question of whether Dylan Chambers remains in the thrall of radical right-wing organizations. Chambers was open and candid in answering The Commons' questions, and his willingness to speak on the record added a dimension to this piece.
There is no doubt that Chambers has had past associations with white nationalist and white supremacist groups - and that at present his online persona is still very much connected to some of this activity, at least at a superficial level. There is also no doubt that some readers will question our giving someone with such a problematic background any sort of amplification in the media.
The bottom line is that, as always, we are trying to understand the forces that are driving the events shaping our area and our world, and we trust that readers will approach the entire report in that spirit.
Finally, we have also worked to be careful in our wording to be candid about what we can, and cannot, know about a particular source.
We approached this story with healthy skepticism - an essential skill covering current events in 2021 - and we trust you will, too.
As always, your responses are welcome - please send them to [email protected].