The following article about the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Mark Potok is from the Fairbanks, Alaska News-Miner. The author is the "outdoors editor" and I think he did a pretty good job. Especially good is that he points out that Potok’s trip to Fairbanks”was funded by the SPLC.”

We know with certainty of instances where an SPLC'er goes to a college and gives a speech and gets an award, but the fact that the SPLC paid for all of their expenses to travel to and stay at the college is not revealed. The SPLC might even pay for the banquet. SPLC does a lot to defame people who want a sensible immigration policy.

As an aside I like the fact that the author consistently misspelled Mark Potok's name. "Potak’s trip to Fairbanks”, et cetera.

Militia opponent to Alaska Bar Association: Influence of extremists growing

By Sam Friedman, [Email him] May 15, 2015

FAIRBANKS — A national opponent of the militia and sovereign citizen movements warned the membership of the Alaska Bar Association on Friday that extremist right wing groups are dangerous and growing more influential in mainstream circles.

Mark Potak, the editor of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Intelligence Report” and “Hatewatch” blogs, came to Fairbanks this week to speak at the bar association’s annual convention at the Westmark Hotel and Conference Center.

Potak’s trip to Fairbanks was funded by his organization, not by Alaska’s professional society for judges and lawyers. He taught an education class called “Second Wave: Return of the Militia Movement” on Friday to a full hotel ballroom of convention attendees. (Emphasis added.)[More ]

Since that's the case, it's not surprising that they spend some of it to make themselves look good, like Bill Gates or the supervillains you see in movies. In any case, the reason Potok was able to get a full house for his speech is that the Alaska Bar Association was giving out 1.5 Continuing Legal Education Credits for it..