A.C. Thompson

Investigative Reporter, Producer & Film Correspondent

A.C. Thompson is a senior reporter with ProPublica and a correspondent for FRONTLINE. His work has helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison, the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers, and a Congressional investigation of the U.S. Border Patrol. His life was fictionalized on the HBO show “Treme.”

Twitter:

@acinvestigates

Email:

A.C.Thompson@propublica.org

Languages Spoken:

English

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White Supremacist Terrorgram Network Allegedly Inspired Teen Accused of Killing Parents and Plotting Trump Assassination
Court documents reveal that Nikita Casap’s alleged manifesto calling for Trump’s assassination cited multiple Terrorgram publications and urged people to read the writings of a network member who murdered two people outside an LGTBQ+ bar in 2022.
April 17, 2025
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A “Goofy” DJ’s Secret Life at the Center of an Online Terrorism Network
To friends, Matthew Allison was a likable part of Boise, Idaho’s electronic music scene. But behind his computer screen, authorities say, he helped lead the Terrorgram Collective, an online network that inspired white supremacist violence.
March 25, 2025
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The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network
How a cadre of white supremacists used the loosely moderated social media platform Telegram to inspire lethal violence — until authorities took them down.
March 15, 2025
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How the Terrorgram Collective’s Neo-Nazi Influencers Groomed a Teen to Kill
The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and FRONTLINE investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated, international recruiting effort by online extremists.
March 8, 2025
1h 24m
The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram
The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram
FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate how an online network known as Terrorgram spread extremism and violence.
March 25, 2025
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Neo-Nazi Telegram Users Panic Amid Crackdown and Arrest of Alleged Leaders of Online Extremist Group
An analysis by ProPublica and FRONTLINE shows a surge in activity on Telegram channels aligned with the Terrorgram Collective, as allies tried to rally support for their comrades in custody and sought to oust users they believed to be federal agents.
September 25, 2024
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The Accelerationists’ App: How Telegram Became the “Center of Gravity” for a New Breed of Domestic Terrorists
From attempting to incite racially motivated violence to encouraging attacks on critical infrastructure, the alleged crimes planned and advertised by extremists on Telegram go far beyond the charges facing CEO Pavel Durov.
September 3, 2024
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DOT Researchers Suggested a Way to Make Big Trucks Safer. After Meeting With Lobbyists, Agency Officials Rejected the Idea.
The Department of Transportation allowed trucking lobbyists to review an unpublished report recommending a safety device that could save lives by preventing pedestrians and cyclists from getting crushed under large trucks.
June 22, 2023
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Trapped Under Trucks
For decades, federal safety regulators ignored credible scientific research and failed to take simple steps to stop gruesome roadway crashes involving heavy trucks. Meanwhile, the bodies piled up.
June 13, 2023
54m
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America's Dangerous Trucks
FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate deadly truck accidents and the fight over measures that could save thousands of lives.
June 13, 2023
54m
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Plot to Overturn the Election
FRONTLINE and ProPublica trace the hidden sources of misinformation about the 2020 presidential election and demonstrate how a handful of people have had an outsized impact on the current crisis of democratic legitimacy in the U.S.
March 29, 2022
1h 24m
American Insurrection Update 2022
American Insurrection
Investigating the threat of far-right violence in America a year after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
January 4, 2022