A new series and podcast from Longreads, in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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In partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting, we’ve produced a podcast edition of Bundyville. Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Bundyville Illustration

Chapter 1

A War in the Desert

Cliven Bundy and his sons led two armed standoffs against the federal government and beat them twice in court. The Bundys and their supporters see themselves as Patriots fighting government overreach. Others see them as domestic terrorists rallying extremists and conspiracy theorists to their side. What is the truth?
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Chapter 2

By a Thread

The Bundy family’s belief that they are defenders of liberty have been shaped by their Mormon faith, but their convictions are connected to a prophecy that the modern Mormon church does not accept as church doctrine. A book of photocopied scripture and speeches by LDS prophets also gives clues to their motivations.
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Bundyville Illustration

Chapter 3

A Clan Not to Cross

A look into the Bundy family’s history reveals how they began to distrust the federal government. From nuclear testing programs in the 1950s to the decades-long Sagebrush Rebellion starting in the 1970s, Cliven Bundy came to believe that the government was out to get him and became emboldened to fight back.
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Bundyville Illustration

Chapter 4

The Gospel of Bundy

The Bundys have found momentum in the Trump era. Ryan Bundy is running for governor and politicians are joining the Bundys at public events. They say they’ll do “whatever it takes” to defend their rights.
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Press

The New Yorker

The New Yorker Recommends: A Revealing Podcast About the Bundy Family

The New Yorker
The Ringer

The Podcast That Explains Trump’s America

The Ringer
The Columbia Journalism Review

With Bundy story, the national media slowly learns how to cover the American West

The Columbia Journalism Review
The Outline

‘Bundyville’ doesn’t need you to sympathize with the white supremacists in order to understand them

The Outline
The Guardian

Bundyville: a modern American siege

The Guardian
Boing Boing

Bundyville: a bingeable new podcast that delves into the apocalyptic cult of Cliven Bundy

Boing Boing
Longreads Oregon Public Broadcasting

Bundyville is a joint effort series by OPB and Longreads. It is hosted and reported by award-winning freelance journalist Leah Sottile. It is produced by Robert Carver and Peter Frick-Wright of 30 Minutes West Productions, and OPB’s Ryan Haas. Editing by Anna Griffin and Mike Dang. Fact Checking was done by Matt Giles, with research help from Kim Frieda. Art Direction by Kjell Reigstad, illustrations by Zoë van Dijk. The podcast features original Music by Robert Carver. Thank you also to Jacob Gross, Catherine Cusick, Amelia Templeton, Conrad Wilson, Ann McGarry, and everyone at Automattic and OPB.