Media distortion

Urban legends circulated by the mainstream media

Urban Legend 1. Nine eleven sceptics are "conspiracy theorists".

Fact: the most nine eleven sceptics do not profess to know what happened, only that the mainstream media have got it badly wrong. Given that the official story is also a conspiracy theory, this phrase probably amounts to defamation.

Urban Legend 2. The 911 commission report proved the official story was true.

Fact: the nine eleven commission was forced by its terms of reference
to assume the official story was true.

Urban Legend 3. The 911 commission was independent.

Fact: the commission was established by the presidency and answerable to the presidency. All of its personnel were long-standing Washington political operatives from the centre ground. Several members had glaring conflicts of interest. The executive director was a consultant to the Bush White House and had helped with the appointments of the key security officials under investigation. He was also a signatory to the notorious PNAC document which set out the military strategy of the regime in 1999, including the intention to station major military bases in Iraq.

Urban Legend 4. The NIST report explains the collapse of the World Trade Centre.

Fact: the report does not attempt to explain two of the most suspicious aspects: the speed of collapse and the total destruction of the central core. It produces no evidence that the temperatures were reached which its models say would be required for any collapse.

Urban Legend 5. Experts have supported the official story.

Fact: most experts are reluctant to state an opinion because the evidence is not available. Evidence was destroyed on the orders of either the FBI or Mayor Giuliani (reports are unclear), and no independent observers were allowed to inspect the Pentagon.

Urban Legend 6. Any mistakes or changes in the official story are the result of "the fog of war".

Fact: the nine eleven commission determined that Pentagon officials probably committed criminal offences when they gave false information to the commission.

Urban Legend 7. To question the nine eleven attacks is to cause pain to the victims.

This may be true for some of the victims, but they have received very high levels of compensation. Many victims have been caused pain by the failure to investigate. A large proportion of the victims do not believe the official story and are demanding a genuine enquiry. Misleading statements in the media cause a great deal of pain to these victims.

Urban Legend 8. Nine eleven "conspiracy theorists" are a minority.

Opinion polls show that only a small minority of people believe the official story as promoted by the mainstream media. A larger proportion believe the official story is "mostly lies".