Category Archives: Swann TV

Announcement: Ben Swann Named Anchor at CBS46 News

Truth in Media Project announced today that Ben Swann will be joining CBS46 TV, Atlanta (WGCL) as an Anchor for its Early Evening and Late Newscasts. He will be starting on June 15th.

“Ben is an accomplished anchor who also has a lot of experience on the digital side. We look forward to putting him next to Sharon Reed and Tracye Hutchins on the news desk,” said CBS46 Vice President/General Manager Mark Pimentel.

Swann has spent the last two years building the Truth in Media project through benswann.com and now truthinmedia.com.  Through the generous support of thousands of backers Swann created 16 episodes of the Truth in Media project, a video series that has garnered millions of views and has impacted the national discussion on issues like cannabis and ISIS.
On the television side, Swann was most recently an Anchor/Reporter at WXIX in Cincinnati. While there Swann became the producer/anchor of a viral segment titled “Reality Check.” Covering the 2012 Republican Presidential primary, Swann confronted problems in the American electoral process, the stranglehold of America’s two party system and the suppression of voters’ choices by mainstream media. During this time, Swann became the first journalist in the nation to take on President Barack Obama face to face regarding the Constitutionality of his “kill list” and is the only journalist to confront Mitt Romney about the railroading of duly elected delegates during the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Prior to that he was an Anchor/Reporter at KTSM in El Paso, TX. He got his start at KFOX in El Paso as an Anchor Reporter. While there he received three Edward R. Murrow Awards and two Emmy Awards.

“To be given an opportunity to be an Anchor in a city like Atlanta is a chance of a lifetime. I can’t wait to get there and get started,” said Swann.  “The beauty of this agreement is that I will continue to oversee and contribute to the Truth in Media project, TruthinMedia.com and will be unveiling my own projects, as well as continuing to press hard and demand answers to tough questions in one of the largest television markets in the country.”

“His work speaks for itself. He’s very excited about getting started on-air and getting actively involved in the community,” said CBS46 News Director Larry Perret.

Swann has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Arts in Humanities Degree from California State University.

About WGCL-TV: WGCL is a CBS affiliate in the # 9 television market in the United States. The station delivers over 32 hours of weekly news product as well as hit CBS Programs such as: Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Madam Secretary, The Good Wife and 60 Minutes. WGCL is owned by the Meredith Corporation.

“Americans Don’t Know What The Hell Is Happening In Yemen” says Activist

Washington, D.C.- Hundreds of Yemeni civilians have found themselves in the crossfire of the Saudi-led bombing campaign that is in its second month, while Yemeni-Americans watch in desperation at the brutality taking place.

The Saudi’s are bombing the largest cities in Yemen in an attempt to destroy gains made by Houthi rebels who are overthrowing the government of Yemen. The Saudis claim that the Houthis are a proxy force fighting on behalf of Iran, even though the Houthis are a native tribal group from Yemen.

Since March 26, 2015, more than 750 Yemenis have been killed by Saudi airstrikes, over 2,500 have been injured and more than 150,000 people have been displaced. None of that reflects the incredible destruction to the nation’s infrastructure as more than 12 million Yemenis are facing food and water shortages.

Ben Swann speaks with Yemeni activist Rabyaah Al-thaibani about the plight of the country’s citizens and their struggle for survival.

FBI Foils ISIS Terror Attacks After THEY Recruit and Plot the Attack?

The recent arrests of two New York women for allegedly planning an Islamic State-inspired attack in America has brought the spotlight onto controversial literature, specifically a 1970s book known as ‘The Anarchist Cookbook.’ While people like Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have condemned the work and believes things like it should be banned, critics are more concerned with the methods and lack of accountability in America’s security community.

In addition, what corporate media will not discuss is that the the FBI informant who reportedly recruited the women, was also the one who introduced the book to the women.

Ben Swann interviews author and critic Heidi Boghosian about this trend of FBI informants who recruit terror suspects only to “foil” the plot.

Breaking: South Carolina Officer Charged With Murder, Shoots Suspect in Back 8 Times

A South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder after he shot a suspect 8 times following a traffic stop… and the shooting death of that man was caught on video.

Warning: The images we are about to show you are graphic.

In the video, which was recorded Saturday, April 4, 2015, City Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager has already shot Walter Lamer Scott with a Taser but Scott continues to run away. A video of the shooting released to news media outlets shows the officer firing several times at the man’s back while he’s running away. Scott had a warrant out for his arrest because he owed child support payments.

Charleston Mayor Keith Summey spoke at a news conference condemning the officer’s actions, saying, “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

Monday, the officer’s attorney said that the officer felt threatened and that the motorist was trying to grab the officer’s stun gun. Tuesday morning, that attorney said he no longer represents officer Slager.

The Rise of Killer Robots?

Robotics is the most important innovation in warfare since the invention of the long bow, and may threaten the future of the human race. That is the claim being made by liberal commentator ‘Lionel’ of Lionel Media.

In the interview above, Lionel claims that by further allowing for soldiers and political leaders to be removed from those they are killing, devices with “supervised autonomy” and artificial intelligence can lead to a dangerous escalation in violence that may be impossible to restrain once a critical point is reached.

Facebook Is Tracking You Even When You Aren’t Logged In

Washington D.C.- Facebook is once again under scrutiny over its privacy protocols, this time after apparently violating European laws by tracking users’ internet activity after they have logged out of the website.

The tactic, known as frictionless sharing, tracks users’ activities on the web and shares it with other companies.

Ben Swann talks to legal analyst and media personality Michael Lebron, better known as ‘Lionel,’ to get further insight into the report.

Ben Swann Interview With VA State Senator Lands Him On ISIS “Enemies List”

Just two weeks ago Ben Swann interviewed Virginia State Senator Richard H. Black about the rise of ISIS, and specifically why the U.S. attempt to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al Assad is indirectly leading to the extermination of Christians in Syria.

Shortly after that interview, Virginia Capitol Police reportedly alerted Senator Black that he has been placed on a very short list of ISIS’ enemies. ISIS named Black in their latest edition of the publication “Dabiq”. Black was singled out along with former U.S. senator and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and CIA veteran and author Gary Berntsen who were called “crusaders”.

According to an interview with The Washington Post, Black says he was notified by the Virgina Capitol Police.

“Capitol police called me yesterday afternoon,” Black said on Tuesday. “They just wanted to be sure that I was aware of it because, of course, ISIS has been an ultra-violent organization. These are people who have been burning people in cages and beheading them.”

In the ISIS magazine, Black was quoted from his interview with Ben Swann when he said “One thing is clear, if Damascus falls, the dreaded black and white flag of ISIS will fly over Damascus”. “Within a period of months after the fall of Damascus, Jordan will fall and Lebanon will fall. … I think you will automatically see a beginning of a historic push of Islam towards Europe and I think, ultimately, Europe will be conquered.”

You can watch Swann’s full interview with Senator Black here:

Best Discussion You’ll Hear About Reality of Iraq on 12 Year Anniversary

Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, has been one of the many critics of US policies during the invasion of Iraq.

During an in-depth interview with Ben Swann, McAdams talks about the Obama administration’s hypocrisy in asking for an AUMF in the face Bush administration’s errors, the poor care of veterans when they return to the US and the millions wasted in the years of this military operation.

U.N. Investigator: 80,000 People Held in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Every Day

The top United Nations investigator on torture, Juan Mendez, has been alleging that Washington is dragging its heels when it comes to granting him access to visits of federal prisons and allowing him to talk with detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Mendez’s biggest criticism has been the US’s solitary confinement policies and whether they are a violation of human rights laws.

Ben Swann speaks with constitutional rights attorney Pardiss Kebriaei about the tensions growing between the State Department and the United Nations.

UCLA anti-Semitism resolution sparks controversy over Israel criticism

The student association at the University of California, Los Angeles recently passed a controversial resolution condemning anti-Semitism on the school’s campus. However, campus groups who advocate for, or show solidarity with, Palestinians are arguing that the resolutions silence people who speak out against the State of Israel.

Ben Swann speaks with author Phan Nguyen about the legality and politics behind the resolution, and how it will affect speech on the campus.

Video Watchdog Group Keeps 17-year-old From Charges of Assaulting Police

Washington D.C.- A 17-year-old form Brooklyn, New York is no longer facing charges of assaulting a police officer thanks to a group of “Cop Watchers” at a Puerto Rican Day Parade. Video of the incident caught on camera from multiple angles proved it was not the teen who assaulted officers, rather it was the teen who was assaulted.

The incident took place at Brooklyn’s Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 8, 2014. 17 year-old Enrique del Rosario was part of a group recording the actions of police, when his lawyer says, police grabbed Rosario, slamming him against the gate of a closed store and began beating him with batons.

After viewing video from multiple angles, recorded by members of the neighborhood watchdog group El Grito de Sunset Park, a grand jury decided not to prosecute Rosario for assaulting police.

In the video above, Ben Swann interviews Dennis Flores with El Grito de Sunset Park about his group and what they are doing to make police more responsive to their community.

Truth in Media: The Origin of ISIS

In the latest episode of Truth in Media, Ben Swann investigates the origins of the militant group referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The name ISIS is one that every American knows,” Swann said “The biggest threat to our national security since Al-Qaeda, right? They are a brutal, savage group known for public beheadings and mass executions. They are the face of the new war on terror.”

Swann pointed out that while the U.S. Military is currently conducting airstrikes in Syria, in a supposed attempt to take out ISIS targets, the White House and U.S. military leaders are discussing possible boots on the ground in Iraq. These talks are arising just three years after President Obama declared that the war in Iraq was over.

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told USA Today that in order to defeat ISIS, he believes the United States is looking at “a 30-year-war.”

As the U.S. goes to war in an attempt to defeat yet another terrorist group, the biggest question is: Who exactly is ISIS and where did they come from?

Angela Keaton, the founder of Antiwar.com, said that ISIS is “entirely a creation of the United States’ behavior in Iraq.”

That’s how we got to where we are, because of war, because of occupation, because of torture,” Keaton said. “The United States government completely destabilized and wrecked Iraq. They caused it to fail miserably and that is entirely the fault of the United States government. There is no one else to blame.”

Swann explained that when the U.S. first invaded Iraq, it “blew the country apart.” By destroying the existing government, toppling Saddam Hussein, and destroying the infrastructure, the U.S. “left behind a power vacuum” that would never have existed under Hussein.

Daniel McAdams, the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute, said that the impact caused by the actions of the United States is a “historical fact that media just won’t discuss.”

This has to do with U.S. action in the region, which destroyed the infrastructure, which destroyed Iraq society, which destroyed the Iraqi government,” McAdams said. He explained that while there were a lot of people who weren’t “as happy as larks” while living under Saddam Hussein, they also weren’t at odds with Hussein in the same way they were with the government established by the U.S.

The militant group ISIS was formed as a small insurgent group in Iraq in 2006. Swann noted that while they tried to create problems for the U.S. military, they had no money and no real ability to recruit.

It wasn’t until 2009 that ISIS shifted its focus from Iraq, where it was largely unsuccessful in developing a foothold, and focused on the civil war in Syria,” Swann said.

While in Syria, ISIS still struggled to gain a foothold. Swann attributed this to the fact that two larger groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad were overpowering them: al-Nusra Front – or al-Qaeda – and the Free Syrian Army.

Then, came a pivotal moment that most Americans aren’t even aware of,” Swann said. “In June 2013, a Northern General for the Free Syrian Army spoke out on Al Jazeera Qatar and stated that if international forces did not send weapons, the rebels attempting to overthrow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad would lose their war within a month.”

Swann noted that just months before this occurred he had personally confronted President Obama on the issue of why the U.S. was covertly funding Syrian rebels. Although Obama acted as if he was proceeding with caution, politicians such as Senator John McCain demanded action.

Within a matter of weeks of the Syrian general making his plea for international help, the U.S., the Saudis, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and Israel began providing weapons, training and money to so-called rebel groups like the Free Syrian Army,” Swann said.

In September 2013, American media outlets began reporting that weapons were being given to Syrian rebels. CNN reported that while the weapons are not “American-made,” they were “funded and organized by the CIA.”

However, Swann said that things began to fall apart when less than one year after the U.S. supplied Syrian “freedom fighters” with weapons, those weapons ended up in the hands of ISIS fighters.

Those ISIS fighters came from the group McCain insisted would help the U.S. overthrow Assad: the Free Syrian Army. Swann explained that the army was not only sending the Islamic State weapons, it was also sending them fighters.

The Free Syrian Army has lost most of the land that it ever claimed and it’s entirely incompetent,” Keaton said. “The only thing that it has been good at is currying favor with western leaders.”

Swann said that it wasn’t until June 2014 that ISIS went from being a “no-name group in Syria” to a group that was “heavily armed and trained by U.S. and Coalition Special Forces.” This revitalized group made a dramatic entrance by crossing back over the Syrian border into Iraq and capturing Mosul and much of the northern part of the country.

One of the most important facts that mainstream media ignores time and time again is that ISIS was able to grow so fast, because of all the U.S. military equipment they were able to seize – equipment that our military left in Iraq,” said Swann. “Truckloads of Humvees, tanks and weaponry that instead of taking or destroying, the U.S. government simply decided to leave behind.

However, even when the U.S. government became aware that ISIS fighters were capturing U.S. equipment, it did nothing. Swann attributed the lack of action to the fact that ISIS fighters were taking the equipment back into Syria to continue fighting Assad, which was what the U.S. government wanted.

How is it that the United States, with all of its intelligence capabilities, didn’t know this threat was coming?” McAdams said. “How many billions did we spend, maybe a hundred billion on total intelligence community budge over the year? How did they have no idea?”

Swann said that the answer is simple: “The U.S. did know who ISIS was, but the so-called Islamic State was doing what the Obama administration wanted.”

The ISIS fighters continued to do what the Obama administration wanted, and in late summer 2014, they were labeled what Swann called, “the new boogeyman in the war on terror.”

Over the past few months, the U.S. government, who acted like they had never even heard of ISIS, suddenly, with the help of media has turned the Islamic State into the new focus of the war on terror,” Swann said. “Now, as ISIS has continued its rise, recruitment is exploding and the group is becoming stunningly wealthy.”

Swann noted that in response to the “ISIS threat,” the U.S. began “conducting airstrikes on Syrian oil fields, instead of going after those buying the oil.”

McAdams pointed out that ISIS makes $2 million a day off of selling oil, and the United States’ response, of “undercutting the competition” by blowing up oil fields makes no sense. He questioned why the U.S., which is known for sanctioning “anything that moves,” when it’s angry, is not placing sanctions on the banks or the oil companies that are involved.

Swann added that in addition to those questions, Americans should also be asking, “Why is the U.S. sending $500 million to the Free Syrian Army to fight ISIS when the FSA is one of the biggest suppliers of fighters and weapons to ISIS?” and “Why are we sending new and more powerful weapons to the FSA like anti-aircraft missiles – weapons that we know will be in the hands of ISIS?

Swann maintained that while the mainstream media will say that ISIS is the “creation of American inaction,” the reality is that they are the “product of direct action.”

This direct action started with “the action of creating a power vacuum in Iraq” and manifested into the “arming violent Jihadists, hoping they would overthrow a leader in a neighboring Middle Eastern country.”

McAdams described the U.S. government as a victim of its own insane policies, due to the fact that it is “very good at blowing things up, but really bad at putting them back together.”

In determining whether or not McAdams’ statement was true, Swann listed three facts:

Fact #1: “Our government armed Osama bin Laden and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan and created al-Qaeda.”

Fact #2: “Our government put Saddam Hussein into power – we helped supply and create chemical weapons for him to use against Iran in 1980 – and then we overthrew him in 2003.”

Fact #3: “Our government trained rebel fighters in Syria who would become the group today known as ISIS. We have watched them commit every violent atrocity you can imagine to people living in Iraq and Syria, and now we want American taxpayers to fund a 30-year war with them.”

Swann came to the conclusion that it isn’t the U.S. government being held hostage by crazy policies; rather it is the American people.

It is time that we reject the destruction of people groups around the world for the sake of foreign policy that makes so-called defense contractors rich, and perpetuates violence, death, and the destruction of entire people groups,” Swann said. “This is the central issue of our time – because humanity is greater than politics.”

Man Who Changed Investigations for WI Officer Involved Shootings, Speaks Out On Tony Robinson Shooting

Washington D.C.- After Wisconsin police spent a mere two days investigating the police who shot and killed his son during a traffic stop in 2004, Michael Bell Sr. made it his mission to change how law enforcement in the state looked into officer-involved shootings.

He worked with police and sheriffs departments, lawmakers and criminal justice and law professors to require an external review takes place whenever an officer of the law shoots a civilian.

Bell tells Ben Swann how his son’s death has led to his involvement with the protests over Tony Robinson Jr.’s death in Madison.

Christians forming militias to fight against ISIS?

The Islamic State has become known for its brutal violence and persecution of Assyrian Christians in the regions it occupies, but there still remains some mystery regarding the conditions Assyrian Christians live under in Aleppo, Syria and other villages in the northern part of the country.

Ben Swann speaks with Dr. George Kiraz, Director of the Syriac Institute, about the history of and the violence that people have faced in the region and whether or not ISIS may actually bring to an end Christianity in the Middle East.

Will Obama’s Plan To Sell Drones To “Allies” Backfire?

Washington D.C.- The State Department has announced a new policy change that will allow for the sale of weaponized drones to allied nations, but the consequences are far from clear considering recent events and regime changes in the Middle East.

In the video above, Ben Swann speaks with Amos Guiora, Professor of Law at the University of Utah, about what this policy could mean for American security and international relations.

Why Won’t Media Call Rash Of Violent Acts Against Muslims “Terrorism”?

Washington D.C.- In the aftermath of the tragic killings of three Muslim students at the Chapel Hill, the media noticeably stepped back from calling the killing ‘terrorism’, while being eager to consider similar events as acts of terror.

In the above video, Ben Swann speaks with Cyrus McGoldrick, an activist with Islamic Movement for Justice, about the hypocrisies within the media on the subject and the concerns of Muslims across the nation.

New Truth in Media Episode: The Origins of ISIS Releases Next Week

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 the Truth in Media Project will release its newest episode, “The Origins of ISIS”. This episode will delve into the truth behind where ISIS came from in the first place and why the Islamic State is not a product of American “inaction” in Iraq and Syria but rather the product of “direct action”.

Sign up to receive the new episode direct to your inbox http://truthinmedia.com/newsletter

Libya and ISIS: “Not A Failed State, A Collapsed State” Thanks To U.S. and Nato

Washington D.C.- With all the talk about ISIS beheading 21 Coptic Christians in Libya over the weekend, mainstream media is pushing for more U.S. intervention.

While media and politicians are wringing their hands over the threat that ISIS now poses in Libya, which is directly across the Mediterranean Sea from Europe, they are not discussing “why” ISIS has such a foothold in Libya. Despite what the American public is being told, Libya is not a failed state, it is a collapsed state. One that was collapsed by the United States and Nato almost exactly 4 years ago.

In the video above, Ben Swann breaks down the timeline of events in which Nato and U.S. systematically crushed the nation of Libya and talks with Vijay Prashad, author of ‘Arab Spring, Libyan Winter,’ about America’s influence and policy, which he says has allowed for the growth of ISIS in the region. Prashad and Swann also discuss how blow-back is accelerating across the world.

Interview: Killing of Three Muslim Students at UNC an “Act of Terrorism”

Washington D.C.- The family of three Muslim college students shot “execution style” over a parking dispute says that their loved ones were killed because of their religion.

All three of the victims, Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19, were Muslim. The victims, a newlywed couple and the bride’s younger sister, were shot in the head.

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The man who turned himself in for the shootings, 46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with murder. Hicks claims that he killed all three students over an ongoing dispute regarding parking.

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Meanwhile the community around University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shown a powerful outpouring of support for the family. More than 2,000 people turned out for the vigil on the campus.

The suspect, Craig Hicks was a self-proclaimed atheist and his Facebook page contains various anti-Muslim and anti-Christian posts.

In the video above Ben Swann speaks with family spokesperson Linda Sarsour who says that the family of the victims has plenty of reason to believe that these three murders were motivated by hate.

New Theory “Debunks” Big Bang Theory

Washington D.C.- While the Big Bang has long been accepted as the primary theory for how the universe was formed, a new model is now debunking that theory.

Perhaps the more correct way to describing the “Big Bang” is in use of the world “singularity”. The idea that at one time the entire universe was contracted into one single point and suddenly began to expand outward.

A new model, however is debunking singularity with computer models that apply quantum correction terms with Einstein’s general theory of relativity. That model essentially show that not only is there not a single point of singularity in the universe’s past but it also dubunks the “Big Crunch” theory that the universe will eventually shrink back into one single point.

Saurya Das, professor of physics at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, is spearheading new research into the possibility that the universe is “forever” and is actually influenced by dark energy that exists throughout the universe yet is not visible to the naked eye.

In the video above Ben Swann discusses with the physicist this concept and the work he has done.