Lessons from Father Charles Coughlin: America’s First Mass Media Demagogue Priest
Alvin M. Keeling 1 min read
A charismatic demagogue with millions of dedicated followers. A new means of communication with little government regulation and few guardrails. The threat of violence in the streets and a country in crisis.
No, we’re not talking about the 45th president, but America’s first radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. At “Radioactive”, a new podcast series from Tablet Studios, Andrew Lapin takes listeners through the story of Father Coughlin, who, through a blend of Catholic piety, anti-Semitism and raw political ambition, became the most popular voice on America’s airwaves during the Great Depression and before World War II.
[Related: Before Rush Limbaugh, Father Coughlin was America’s first demagogue of the airwaves]
We ask Andrew what Father Coughlin’s story can tell us about the connection between religious demagoguery and authoritarianism; the Wild West of new media platforms; and the failure of the church to subdue Catholics who exploit these toxic forces.
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