Peter Bouckaert is accustomed to being in the wrong places at the right times. As the emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, Bouckaert has reported on just about every major war and conflict in the past 20 years. He represents a new type of human rights worker — part journalist, part researcher, full-time producer of the images and words that tell us what’s happening in the stricken places we’d rather not look at. Bouckaert was among the first people to tweet out the powerful picture of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler whose lifeless body was found on a Turkish beach. He was also among the first people to obtain video footage of the terrible conditions inside the Roszke detention center in Hungary. His adept use of social media has been particularly useful for bringing his followers into the heart of the refugee crisis and, he hopes, caring enough to do something about it. Bouckaert spoke with The Intercept about his work on what might be the greatest human drama in Europe since World War II.
IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.
What we’re seeing right now from Donald Trump is a full-on authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.
This is not hyperbole.
Court orders are being ignored. MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse. News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.
Yet far too many are still covering Trump’s assault on democracy like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as “unconventional,” “testing the boundaries,” and “aggressively flexing power.”
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
IT’S BEEN A DEVASTATING year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
I’M BEN MUESSIG, The Intercept’s editor-in-chief. It’s been a devastating year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?
We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?
Contact the author:
Latest Stories
The Intercept Briefing
25 Years After 9/11, Muslims Are Still Politicians’ Favorite Scapegoat
Rozina Ali on the rise of Islamophobia in America and the vague terrorism laws now being wielded against dissidents like the Prairieland protesters.
Flock Donations to Local Politicians’ Groups Skyrocket as Protests Against AI Cameras Mount
Mayors and governors control many of Flock’s contracts for its AI-powered surveillance cameras. It’s donating to their associations.
The War on Immigrants
ICE Gave New Hires Access to Restricted Info on Palantir App Before They Passed Background Checks
Palantir created ELITE, a powerful new app for ICE to target immigrants. The feds never published a legally required privacy assessment for it.