Inside Hate in America: duPont Winners Phil Williams in Conversation with Michael Premo

Senior Investigative Reporter and duPont-Columbia veteran Phil Williams sits down with 2026 winner Michael Premo to discuss the Homegrown doc and the rise of extremism in America.

by Thu Le, 2025-26 duPont Fellow

Five-time duPont-Columbia Award winner Phil Williams recently sat down with Michael Premo, the filmmaker behind a 2026 duPont-Columbia winning documentary, Homegrown, for a compelling conversation on spotlighting extremism in America.

In Homegrown, Premo embeds himself amongst right-wing activists in a years-long lead-up to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, offering an unfiltered look at the people and beliefs behind the riot.

Williams brings decades of investigative experience to that discussion. In 2025, his reporting for NewsChannel 5 Nashville earned him his fifth duPont-Columbia Award after he exposed the hate, political extremism, and conspiracy theories reshaping life in Tennessee—work that has made him a target. In June 2025, Williams appeared on the duPont Awards’ On Assignment podcast to discuss his award-winning investigation and its impact.

Williams continues that reporting through his independent online website, Hate Comes to Main Street. The work, in his words, “will provide analysis and understanding of the societal implications of the rise of extremism in America.”

Together, Williams and Premo discuss the film’s impact, the “crisis of faith” in American democracy, and how the deeper forces of economic inequality have forced many to search for belonging and community.

You can watch the video podcast here.

Learn more about Homegrown here.