No surprise that the complaint was not upheld, The finding is a joke as you would imagine. Kein Wunder, dass der Beschwerde wurde nicht stattgegeben, die zu finden ist ein Witz, wie Sie es sich vorstellen würde. For example, the BBC’s idea of ‘investigation’ regarding Mayor Willie Brown not flying on 911 is to phone his office and ask if the reports of a tip off were true! Zum Beispiel, die BBC die Idee der "Untersuchung" über Bürgermeister Willie Brown nicht fliegt auf 911 zu seinem Büro Telefon und fragen, ob die Berichte über einen Tipp aus wurden wahr!
The entire results below: Die gesamten Ergebnisse unter:
FINDING BY THE EDITORIAL STANDARDS COMMITTEE Feststellung der redaktionellen Standards AUSSCHUSS
9/11: The Conspiracy Files, BBC Two, 18 February 2007 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien, BBC Two, 18. Februar 2007
Summary of finding Zusammenfassung zu finden,
The Committee, in its consideration, noted that four complainants had complained Der Ausschuss hat in seiner Prüfung festgestellt, dass vier Beschwerdeführer hatten beklagt,
about this programme. Über dieses Programm. Three complaints appeals are addressed in this finding. Drei Berufungen Beschwerden werden in diesem Befund.
The Committee noted all of the concerns raised by the appellants and from their Der Ausschuss stellt fest, der alle Bedenken durch die Rechtsmittelführerinnen und von ihren
complaints grouped the issues raised under five broad headings: Beschwerden gruppiert die Fragen, die unter fünf große Abschnitte:
- Did the programme consider the most significant 9/11 conspiracy theories? -- Hat das Programm die wichtigsten 9 / 11 Verschwörungstheorien?
- Did the programme ensure appropriate representation from both sides of -- Hat das Programm eine angemessene Vertretung beider Seiten
the argument? Das Argument?
- Was there appropriate representation from both sides of the argument? -- Gab es eine angemessene Vertretung von beiden Seiten der Argumentation?
- Were the arguments articulated clearly? -- Wurden die Argumente klar artikuliert?
- Was it appropriate to include Frank Spotnitz to talk about conspiracy theories? -- Ist es zweckmäßig, Frank Spotnitz-to-talk über Verschwörungstheorien?
- Did the programme present the 9/11 theorists in a negative way? -- Hat das Programm die 9 / 11 Theoretiker auf negative Art und Weise?
The appeals were considered against the editorial guidelines concerning accuracy and impartiality. Die Beschwerden wurden als gegen die redaktionellen Richtlinien in Bezug auf Genauigkeit und Unparteilichkeit.
The Committee concluded: Der Ausschuss kam zu der Schlussfolgerung:
- Did the programme ensure appropriate representation from both sides of the argument? -- Hat das Programm eine angemessene Vertretung von beiden Seiten der Argumentation?
· it was not a requirement for all theories to be considered in the programme; Es sich nicht um eine Verpflichtung für alle Theorien, die in das Programm;
· the programme’s purpose was not to solve what had happened on 11 Zweck des Programms war nicht zu lösen, was geschehen war auf 11
September 2001or to deliver an in depth analysis of each theory or September 2001or zu liefern eine tiefer gehende Analyse der einzelnen Theorie oder
verdict on the veracity of each theory; Urteil über die Echtheit der jeweiligen Theorie;
· the choice of theories reflected the mainstream of theories which the Die Wahl der Theorien spiegelt sich der Mainstream der Theorien, die die
majority of the audience would have had some awareness of and, as Mehrheit des Publikums hätten einige Bewusstsein und, wie
such, was editorially justified; and Diese wurde redaktionell gerechtfertigt ist, und
· it was not a requirement for the programme to consider the “history Es sich nicht um eine Voraussetzung für das Programm, die "Geschichte
of deceit” to satisfy the guideline to “weigh all relevant facts” Von Täuschung "zu erfüllen, die Richtlinie zu" wiegen alle relevanten Fakten "
- Was there appropriate representation from both sides of the argument? -- Gab es eine angemessene Vertretung von beiden Seiten der Argumentation?
· the programme had satisfied the requirement of being duly impartial Das Programm zufrieden war die Forderung nach einer angemessenen unparteiischen
by providing sufficient information on each theory mentioned to Bereitstellung von ausreichenden Informationen über die einzelnen Theorie genannt
enable the viewer to have had enough understanding of the different Ermöglichen dem Betrachter genug gehabt zu haben Verständnis für die unterschiedlichen
arguments to have formed an opinion as to the accuracy of the Argumente haben, um eine Stellungnahme über die Richtigkeit der
various statements made; Verschiedene Erklärungen;
· it was not required to represent every argument or every facet of Es war nicht nötig, um jedes Argument oder jede Facette
every argument to achieve due impartiality; Jedes Argument zu erreichen durch Unparteilichkeit;
· the programme had provided appropriate and relevant Das Programm hatte, die geeignet und relevant
representatives from both sides of the argument to articulate the Vertreter von beiden Seiten des Arguments zu artikulieren
various views; Verschiedene Ansichten;
· the programme team had ensured that the contributors speaking for Das Programm-Team hatte dafür gesorgt, dass die Beiträge sprechen für
the ‘truth movement’ had the appropriate credentials to provide an Die "Wahrheit Bewegung" hatten die entsprechenden Vollmachten, um einen
authoritative view of the various arguments; and Standpunkt der verschiedenen Argumente und
· the description of Dylan Avery as “23 year old self-confessed drop Die Beschreibung von Dylan Avery als "23-jährige bekennende Drop
out” was used fairly as that was a description he used to describe Out "verwendet wurde, war eher als eine Beschreibung verwendete er zu beschreiben
himself; Selbst;
- Were the arguments articulated clearly? -- Wurden die Argumente klar artikuliert?
· that in the presentation of the various theories, including the graphic Dass in der Darstellung der verschiedenen Theorien, einschließlich der grafischen
representations, the production team had accurately put forward the Darstellungen, die Produktion Team hatte genau die vorgebrachten
broad details of each of the theories in way that did not mislead the Details breite der einzelnen Theorien in der Art und Weise, die nicht irreführen
audience; Publikum;
· the facts, as much as they could be established, had been thoroughly Die Fakten, wie sie hergestellt werden konnte, wurde gründlich
checked; Geprüft;
- Was it appropriate to include Frank Spotnitz to talk about conspiracy -- Ist es zweckmäßig, Frank Spotnitz zu sprechen Verschwörung
theories? Theorien?
· there was a good editorial reason for a programme looking at the Es war ein guter Grund für einen redaktionellen Programm Blick auf die
phenomenon of conspiracy theories to talk to someone who was Phänomen der Verschwörungstheorien zu sprechen war jemand,
publicly known and associated with conspiracy theories; Öffentlich bekannt und mit Verschwörungstheorien;
· looking at the programme as a whole the views of Mr Spotnitz were Blick auf das Programm als Ganzes die Ansichten von Herrn Spotnitz wurden
balanced as there was sufficient concerns raised by those in the truth Ausgewogen, da war ausreichend Bedenken durch die in der Wahrheit
movement to offset those of Mr Spotnitz; Bewegung, um die von Herrn Spotnitz;
- Did the programme present the 9/11 theorists in a negative way? -- Hat das Programm die 9 / 11 Theoretiker auf negative Art und Weise?
· there was no evidence to suggest that the programme had presented Es gab keine Anzeichen dafür, dass das Programm vorgestellt hatte
the theorists in a negative way either in the way the individual Die Theoretiker auf negative Art und Weise entweder in der Art, wie die einzelnen
contributors were referred to or presented. Mitwirkende waren nach oder präsentiert.
The complaints were not upheld. Die Beschwerden wurden nicht stattgegeben.
9/11: The Conspiracy Files, BBC Two, 18 February 2007 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien, BBC Two, 18. Februar 2007
Finding in full Finden in vollem Umfang
1. 1 werden. The item Das Element
(taken from the press release) (Aus dem Pressetext)
The Conspiracy Files was a series of four programmes exploring the conspiracy The Conspiracy-Dateien wurde eine Serie von vier Programme Erforschung der Verschwörung
theories that have entered the mainstream surrounding some of the biggest Western Theorien, die in den Mainstream-Umgebung einige der größten Western
news stories of recent years. 9/11: The Conspiracy Files investigated the growing Nachrichten der letzten Jahre. 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien untersucht die wachsende
number of conspiracy theories surrounding the events of 11 September 2001. Reihe von Verschwörungstheorien rund um die Ereignisse des 11. September 2001. The Die
programme travelled across the United States, speaking to eyewitnesses and Programm reiste quer durch die Vereinigten Staaten, im Gespräch mit Zeitzeugen und
attempting to separate fact from fiction. Sie versuchen zu trennen von der Tatsache, Fiktion.
2. The complaint Die Beschwerde
Three complainants made a similar complaint concerning 9/11: The Conspiracy Files, Drei Beschwerdeführer machte eine ähnliche Beschwerde über 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien,
details of which are below (section 2.1). Einzelheiten über die unten (Abschnitt 2.1). The individual complainants also made Die einzelnen Beschwerdeführer auch
complaints in addition to these which are captured in section 2.2. Beschwerden, in denen zusätzlich zu diesen werden in Abschnitt 2,2.
2.1 The complainants made the following points to the BBC: 2,1 Der Beschwerdeführer machte folgende Punkte an die BBC:
The 9/11 truth movement Die 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung
· The programme showed a clear and deliberate negative bias against those who Das Programm zeigte eine klare und bewusste negative Vorurteile gegen diejenigen, die
describe themselves as the 9/11 truth movement. Bezeichnen sich als die 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung.
· There was a deliberate intent to misrepresent the discoveries of the 9/11 truth Es war eine bewusste Absicht, die fälschlicherweise behaupten, die Entdeckungen von 9 / 11 Wahrheit
movement. Bewegung. These show beyond doubt that the official US government version of Diese zeigen außer Zweifel, dass die offizielle Version der US-Regierung
events of that day was fraudulent. Ereignisse dieses Tages wurde betrügerischen. The producers of the programme had no Die Produzenten des Programms hatte keine
intention of supporting a version of events of that day which conflicted with the Absicht, sich für eine Version der Ereignisse dieser Tage, die in Konflikt mit der
official US report. Offiziellen US-Bericht.
· There were 13 debunkers interviewed and only 3 9/11 truthers. Es gab 13 debunkers interviewt und nur 3 9 / 11 truthers.
· There were many negative inferences about the truth movement such as “ there Es gab viele negative Rückschlüsse über die Wahrheit Bewegung wie "es
are more than fifty conspiracy theories about 9/11 .” Sind mehr als fünfzig Verschwörungstheorien über 9 / 11. "
The collapse of the twin towers Der Einsturz der Zwillingstürme
· The explanation in the programme of the collapse of the twin towers (thepancake thepancake theory) put forward by Davin Coburn of Popular Mechanics has been Die Erklärung in das Programm der Zusammenbruch der Zwillingstürme (thepancake thepancake Theorie), die von Davin Coburn of Popular Mechanics wurde
proven by scientists in the truth movement to be unscientific and in violation of Wissenschaftler, die durch die Wahrheit in Bewegung zu unwissenschaftlich und in Verletzung der
the laws of physics. Die Gesetze der Physik. If the towers had collapsed in pancake form, large floor Wenn die Türme eingestürzt waren und Pfannkuchen, große Stock
areas would have remained intact with pieces of concrete of varying sizes. Bereiche hätte blieb intakt mit Stücken von Beton mit unterschiedlichen Größen. There Es
was no mention in the programme that all three buildings fell at freefall velocity Wurde mit keinem Wort erwähnt, dass das Programm in allen drei Gebäuden fiel auf freien Geschwindigkeit
and that no steel framed building had ever collapsed due to fires prior to or since Und dass kein Stahl gerahmte Gebäude jemals zusammengebrochen durch Brände vor oder seit
9/11. 9 / 11.
· If the towers had collapsed in pancake form then by the programme’s own Wenn die Türme eingestürzt waren und Pfannkuchen Form dann durch das Programm der eigenen
graphic demonstration they would have taken more than 50 seconds to fall. Grafische Darstellung, sie hätten mehr als 50 Sekunden zu fallen.
· In addition the temperature of the burning jet fuel was nowhere near the Darüber hinaus wird die Temperatur des brennenden Kerosins war nirgends in der Nähe der
temperature needed to melt the central support columns of the twin towers. Temperatur benötigt zum Schmelzen des zentralen Säulen der Zwillingstürme.
· The graphic illustrating the collapse of the WTC was misleading Die Grafik verdeutlicht den Zusammenbruch des WTC war irreführend
The Pentagon attack Die Pentagon-Attacke
· The programme’s computer animation of a Boeing 757 entering the Pentagon is Das Programm der Computer-Animation einer Boeing 757 in das Pentagon ist
too simplistic to be accepted. Zu einfach akzeptiert werden. A 757 cannot fly at ground level. A 757 nicht fliegen können auf Bodenhöhe. It would also have Es hätte auch
been physically impossible for any large aircraft to have hit the Pentagon without Physisch unmöglich gewesen für alle großen Flugzeugen getroffen zu haben, ohne das Pentagon
leaving devastation in its wake. Verlassen Verwüstung nach sich zieht. Instead there was a neat, near-perfect hole and Stattdessen gab es eine saubere, nahezu perfekte Loch-und
no traces of the large fuselage, the wings, engines or seats, luggage and passenger Keine Spuren der großen Rumpf, Tragflächen, Motoren oder Sitze, Gepäck-und Personenverkehr
remains. Bleibt. The programme did not explain these issues. Das Programm hat diese Probleme nicht erklären.
· The interview with Col. Steve O’Brien, pilot of the military plane flying over Das Interview mit Col. Steve O'Brien, Pilot der militärischen Flugzeug fliegt über
Washington cannot be relied on. Washington kann nicht geltend gemacht werden. The programme did not mention or question Das Programm nicht erwähnt oder Frage
him about the Pentagon’s missile defences which failed to be deployed that day. Ihm über den Pentagon-Raketenabwehrsysteme, die nicht zum Einsatz kommen soll an diesem Tag.
Flight 93 Flug 93
· The programme did not explain the lack of debris at the crash site of Flight 93. Das Programm hat nicht erklären, das Fehlen von Ablagerungen an der Absturzstelle von Flug 93.
The evidence of eye-witnesses lacked credibility. Der Nachweis von Augenzeugen fehlte Glaubwürdigkeit. If the Boeing 757 had crashed at Wenn die Boeing 757 hatte am abgestürzt
that location there would have been substantial debris. , Die Lage hätte es erhebliche Rückstände.
· The evidence of the coroner Wally Miller was unreliable because he changed his Der Nachweis der Coroner Wally Miller war unzuverlässig, weil er seinen
original story. Original-Geschichte.
· The programme claimed that debris was not found 8 miles away when local Das Programm forderte, dass Schutt wurde nicht gefunden 8 Meilen entfernt, wenn lokale
officials and the FBI clearly stated that it was. Beamten und dem FBI eindeutig festgestellt, dass es war.
Programme interviews Programm Interviews
· Many key interviews were not included in the programme. Viele Schlüssel Interviews wurden nicht in das Programm aufgenommen. Professor David RayGriffin RayGriffin (author of The New Pearl Harbor ) is widely respected by 9/11 truth Professor David RayGriffin RayGriffin (Autor von "The New Pearl Harbor) ist weithin respektiert von 9 / 11 Wahrheit
researchers as a leading analyst of the events of that day. Forscher als führender Analytiker der Ereignisse dieses Tages. Neither he nor Weder er noch
Professor Steven Jones was included in the programme. Professor Steven Jones wurde in das Programm einbezogen.
· Other interviews were not included. Weitere Gespräche wurden nicht einbezogen. There are senior military and intelligence Es gibt Senior Militär-und Intelligenz
personnel, government officials, survivors and families of the victims who dispute Personal, Regierungsbeamte, Überlebenden und Angehörigen der Opfer, die Streitigkeit
the official version of events. Die offizielle Version der Ereignisse. Witnesses who heard bombs exploding within the Zeugen gehört, die innerhalb der explodierenden Bomben
buildings before and after they were hit by the aircraft weren’t mentioned. Gebäude vor und nach wurden sie von den Flugzeugen getroffen wurden nicht erwähnt.
· The use of X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz to debunk the 9/11 conspiracy claims Die Verwendung von X-Files Schriftsteller Frank Spotnitz entlarven die 9 / 11 Verschwörung Forderungen
was an attempt to discredit the truth movement in the eyes of the audience. War ein Versuch, die Wahrheit zu diskreditieren Bewegung in den Augen des Publikums.
· Many pieces of information were left out of the documentary. Viele Stücke wurden von Informationen aus der Dokumentation. Several high Mehrere hoch
ranking people were warned not to go to work or to fly that day but this was Ranking Menschen wurden gewarnt, nicht zur Arbeit gehen, oder zu fliegen, aber dieser Tag war
never mentioned. Nie erwähnt.
2.2 Individual complaints from the three complainants: 2,2 Individuelle Beschwerden aus den drei Beschwerdeführer:
· The programme used ‘classic tools of dark images’ to suggest certain individuals Das Programm verwendet "klassischen Instrumente der dunklen Bilder" zu schlagen bestimmte Personen
were dubious or sinister. Wurden zweifelhafte oder finstere.
· The sequences introducing Dylan Avery and Professor Jim Fetzer were Die Sequenzen der Einführung Dylan Avery und Professor Jim Fetzer wurden
unnecessary and used up valuable footage time. Und verbraucht unnötig wertvolle Zeit Footage. They were shot without Sie wurden erschossen, ohne
additional lighting to create a negative impression. Zusätzliche Beleuchtung zu schaffen einen negativen Eindruck. The close-up technique used Die close-up-Technik verwendet,
to film Professor Fetzer was disrespectful. Zu filmen Professor Fetzer war respektlos.
· The Loose Change director Dylan Avery was described as a self-confessed ‘dropout’ Die Loose Change Regisseur Dylan Avery wurde beschrieben als bekennende 'Dropout'
even though he never attended college. Obwohl er nie besuchten Hochschule.
· The claim that the CIA and the FBI did not have forewarning of the events is not Die Behauptung, dass die CIA und das FBI keine Vorwarnung der Ereignisse ist nicht
true. Wahr. The secret services of many governments had warned the US Die Geheimdienste vieler Regierungen hatte gewarnt, die US -
administration of possible attacks. Verwaltung von möglichen Angriffen.
· No mention was made in the programme of the US government’s history of Nicht erwähnt wurde in das Programm der US-Regierung die Geschichte von
deceit or operation Northwoods. Täuschung oder Operation Northwoods.
· The BBC is on record through a live interview with a BBC correspondent in Die BBC ist in den Akten über ein Live-Interview mit einer BBC-Korrespondent in
New York as having had prior warning of the collapse of Building 7. New York hatte zuvor als Warnung vor dem Zusammenbruch der Bau-7. This is Dies ist
further evidence that the building did not collapse as a result of structural failure. Weiterer Beleg dafür, dass das Gebäude nicht Zusammenbruch als Folge der strukturellen Fehler.
· When Building 7 fell to the ground the programme stated there were no Wenn Gebäude 7 fiel auf den Boden des Programms erklärt, gab es keine
casualties. Opfer. However a secret service agent Craig Miller died as a result of that Jedoch einen Geheimdienst-Agent Craig Miller starb als Folge dieser
collapse. Zusammenbruch.
· Why wasn’t the footage of World Trade Centre owner Larry Silverstein shown Warum wurde nicht die Footage of World Trade Centre Besitzer Larry Silverstein gezeigt,
admitting that the authorities decided to ‘pull’ Building 7? Zuzugeben, dass die Behörden beschlossen, "Pull"-Gebäude 7?
· No mention was made that two aircraft landed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport Nicht erwähnt wurde, dass zwei Flugzeuge landeten am Flughafen Cleveland Hopkins
due to two separate bomb threats, and that Flight 93 was one of those reported Durch zwei getrennte Bombendrohungen, und dass Flug 93 war einer derjenigen berichtet,
to have landed by locals. Zu haben, landete von Einheimischen.
· The use of the claim that 4000 Jews stayed away from work on 9/11 suggests Die Verwendung der Behauptung, dass 4000 Juden blieben weg von der Arbeit auf 9 / 11 schlägt vor,
that those undertaking independent investigations of 9/11 are somehow anti- Dass diejenigen Unternehmen, unabhängige Untersuchungen von 9 / 11 sind irgendwie Anti -
Semitic. Semitistik.
· The programme attempted to influence viewers by ending with the phrase: “The Das Programm versucht, die Zuschauer zu beeinflussen, indem endet mit dem Satz: "Die
evidence points to a conspiracy after 9/11, not before. Hinweise auf eine Verschwörung nach 9 / 11, nicht vor. The other 9/11 conspiracy Die anderen 9 / 11 Verschwörung
theories are just that, theories. Theorien sind genau das, Theorien. The evidence doesn’t support them. Der Nachweis nicht unterstützt werden. Case closed.” Rechtssache geschlossen. "
· No alternative theories as to the collapse of the twin towers to the official Keine Alternative Theorien wie der Zusammenbruch der Zwillingstürme auf der offiziellen
accounts were given, save for the view of Dylan Avery Konten wurden, speichern Sie für die Ansicht von Dylan Avery
· The programme omitted to include and investigate an “FBI report” on wreckage Das Programm verzichtet auf und untersuchen, eine "FBI-Bericht" über die Trümmer
found 8 miles away in New Baltimore Gefunden 8 Meilen entfernt in New Baltimore
· The programme omitted to include interviews with police officers on duty at the Das Programm verzichtet auf Interviews mit Polizisten im Dienst an der
world trade centre, eye witness accounts, a conspiracy theory concerning the Zentrum des Welthandels, Augenzeuge Konten, eine Verschwörungstheorie über die
Mayor of San Francisco and any interview with the head of the largest 9/11 Bürgermeister von San Francisco und Interview mit dem Leiter des größten 9 / 11
victims group for the film. Opfer-Gruppe für den Film.
· There was an imbalance in the interviews as there were less people for the 9/11 Es war ein Ungleichgewicht in den Interviews, da waren weniger Menschen für die 9 / 11
movement than “debunkers”. Bewegung als "debunkers".
3. Response from the BBC Antwort von der BBC
3.1 Response from BBC Information 3,1 Response von BBC Information
The complainants were directed to two blogs written by Mike Rudin, Die Beschwerdeführer wurden auf zwei Blogs geschrieben von Mike Rudin,
series producer The Conspiracy Files and Richard Porter, Head of News, Die Serie Hersteller Conspiracy Dateien und Richard Porter, Head of News,
BBC World. BBC World. The following points were also made: Die folgenden Punkte wurden auch gemacht:
There was no editorial interference in the programme. 9/11: The Conspiracy Files was Es gab keine Einmischung in die redaktionelle Programm. 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Files wurde
determined to examine the many conspiracy theories in detail and subject them to Entschlossen, die viele Verschwörungstheorien im Detail und unter ihnen
forensic examination. Forensische Untersuchung.
The programme chose three prominent and influential people to make the case that Das Programm wählte drei prominente und einflussreiche Menschen zu machen, dass der Fall
the official account of 9/11 is wrong and to propose an alternative. Die offizielle Rechnung 9 / 11 ist falsch, und eine Alternative vorschlagen. The programmemakers Die programmemakers
did ask Professor Steven Jones for an interview but he declined. Hatte um Professor Steven Jones für ein Interview, aber er ging.
The programme found much evidence which supported the official version of events Das Programm fand viel Beweismittel, die für die offizielle Version der Ereignisse
and which contradicted the various conspiracy theories. Und die im Widerspruch zu den verschiedenen Verschwörungstheorien.
Where there was some evidence of a conspiracy after the event to cover up Wo gab es einige Anzeichen für eine Verschwörung nach der Veranstaltung zu decken
intelligence failures, this was included in the programme. Intelligenz Ausfälle, wurde dies in das Programm einbezogen.
The programme was 59 minutes long and therefore could not deal with every issue Das Programm ist 59 Minuten lang und daher nicht jedem Problem, mit dem
and every possible argument. Und jede mögliche Argument. The programme-makers chose the strongest and most Das Programm Entscheidungsträger wählte die stärksten und
widely reported arguments for inclusion. Weithin berichtet Argumente für die Aufnahme. They also spoke to and considered many Sie sprach auch zu und ist der Auffassung, viele
witnesses and experts but in the end made an editorial judgement as to who to Zeugen und Experten, sondern am Ende einen redaktionellen Urteil darüber, wer zu
include in the programme. , In dieses Programm.
Frank Spotnitz was included to help viewers understand why so many people believe Frank Spotnitz wurde, um die Zuschauer verstehen, warum so viele Menschen glauben,
in conspiracy theories generally. Verschwörungstheorien in der Regel.
3.2 Response from the ECU 3,2 Response aus der ECU
The 9/11 truth movement Die 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung
The programme was in production for nine months and the producers carried out Das Programm wurde in der Produktion für die neun Monate und die Produzenten durchgeführt
extensive research in that time. Umfangreiche Forschung in der damaligen Zeit. The final programme contained a number of Das endgültige Programm enthielt eine Reihe von
interviews with leading members of the 9/11 truth movement and gave them the Interviews mit führenden Mitgliedern des 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung und gab ihnen die
opportunity to explain their theories of what happened on the day. Gelegenheit, ihre Theorien zu erklären, was passiert am Tag.
The programme also included interviews with people challenging these theories to Das Programm auch Interviews mit Menschen herausfordernde diese Theorie
provide the necessary balance on such a controversial subject. Bieten das notwendige Gleichgewicht auf solche ein kontroverses Thema.
The programme-makers made a conscious decision to concentrate on the opinions Das Programm Entscheidungsträger eine bewusste Entscheidung, sich auf die Stellungnahmen
of three people who are well regarded in the truth movement and spend time Von drei Menschen, die gut betrachtet die Wahrheit Bewegung und Zeit
establishing why their views were worthy of consideration. Gründung, warum ihrer Meinung würdig sind. This was considered Dies wurde als
preferable to covering a greater variety of views in a more cursory manner. Vorzuziehen, die eine größere Vielfalt von Meinungen und eine oberflächliche Weise.
It is true that more people were interviewed to support the official explanation of Es ist wahr, dass mehr Menschen wurden befragt, um die offizielle Erklärung von
events – but this in itself did not lead to an imbalance. Veranstaltungen - aber das an sich nicht dazu führen, dass ein Ungleichgewicht. Throughout the programme a Während das Programm ein
great deal of time was spent explaining the theories of the three men, often using Viel Zeit verbracht wurde erklärt, die Theorien der drei Männer, die oft mit
material which they had provided. Material, die sie hatte. Their contribution amounted to more than eight Ihr Beitrag belief sich auf mehr als acht
minutes of the programme. Minuten des Programms. This compares to just over ten minutes devoted to Im Vergleich dazu etwas mehr als zehn Minuten gewidmet
those putting opposing views. Putting die gegensätzlichen Ansichten.
“In many cases where there was an exchange of views, the programme-makers gave "In vielen Fällen, in denen es fand ein Meinungsaustausch, der Programm-Entscheidungsträger haben
the last word to the 9/11 theorists. 9/11: The Conspiracy Files offered a balanced Das letzte Wort zu den 9 / 11 Theoretiker. 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien angeboten, eine ausgewogene
analysis of the main theories and I do not believe there is evidence of bias against the Analyse der wichtigsten Theorien, und ich glaube nicht, dass es Hinweise auf eine Voreingenommenheit gegenüber der
9/11 truth movement.” 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung. "
The programme’s comment that there are “ more than fifty different conspiracy theoriesabout theoriesabout 911/ ” is a simple statement of fact providing useful context for the viewer Das Programm ist Kommentar, dass es "mehr als fünfzig verschiedene Verschwörung theoriesabout theoriesabout 911 /" ist eine einfache Erklärung für die Tatsache, nützliche Kontext für den Betrachter
rather than a negative inference about the truth movement. Anstatt eine negative Inferenz über die Wahrheit Bewegung.
The collapse of the twin towers Der Einsturz der Zwillingstürme
There are a number of explanations as to why the twin towers collapsed and some Es gibt eine Reihe von Erklärungen dafür, warum die Türme eingestürzt und einige
of these were examined by the programme. Diese wurden durch das Programm. Dylan Avery put forward his theory that Dylan Avery vorgetragen, dass seine Theorie
the buildings were brought down by a series of controlled explosions. Die Gebäude wurden durch eine Reihe von kontrollierten Explosionen. This was Dies war
balanced by the official Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) report Durch die offizielle Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) Bericht
that said that a combination of the impact of the planes and the ensuing fires , Sagte, dass eine Kombination der Auswirkungen der Flugzeuge und der anschließenden Brände
weakened the load-bearing beams. Schwächung der tragenden Balken. The programme-makers had to decide which Das Programm Entscheidungsträger hatten zu entscheiden, welche
aspects of the collapse to investigate in the time available, and so included the two Aspekte des Zusammenbruchs zu untersuchen, in der zur Verfügung stehenden Zeit, und so sind die beiden
most widely discussed explanations. Am häufigsten Erklärungen diskutiert.
Davin Coburn has carried out his own research into the collapse and his explanation Davin Coburn durchgeführt hat seine eigene Forschung in den Zusammenbruch und seine Erklärung
is shared by many, including FEMA. Von vielen geteilt wird, einschließlich der FEMA. The purpose of the graphic used to illustrate the Der Zweck der Grafik zur Veranschaulichung der
official explanation was to show a complicated process in a way that is simple to Offizielle Erklärung war es, zu zeigen ein komplizierter Prozess in einer Weise, dass ist einfach zu
understand. Verstehen. The programme-makers say that their intention in using the graphic was Das Programm-Entscheider sagen, dass ihre Absicht in der Grafik wurde mit
to clarify one theory rather than to prove its validity. Zu klären, anstatt ein Theorie zu beweisen, ihre Gültigkeit.
The graphic was run in slow motion and was not designed to show the actual speed Die Grafik wurde in Zeitlupe und wurde nicht entworfen, um die tatsächliche Geschwindigkeit
at which the collapse occurred. , An dem der Zusammenbruch aufgetreten. If the graphic had been shown in ‘real time’ it would Wenn die Grafik wurde in "Echtzeit" wäre
have been too quick to understand. Wurden zu schnell zu verstehen. Therefore this was not misleading or inaccurate. Deshalb war dies nicht unrichtig oder irreführend sein.
It is true to say that no other steel framed buildings have collapsed due to fire but it Es ist richtig zu sagen, dass kein anderer Stahl gerahmte Gebäude eingestürzt durch Feuer, aber es
is equally true that no other buildings have been hit at speed by a large passenger jet Ebenso wahr ist, dass kein anderes Gebäude betroffen sind bei der Geschwindigkeit von einer großen Passagier-Jet
laden with fuel. Beladen mit Treibstoff. It is hard to see how an analysis of other skyscraper fires would Es ist schwer zu sehen, wie eine Analyse der anderen Wolkenkratzer Feuer würde
have proved what caused the twin towers to collapse. Haben bewiesen, was verursacht die Zwillingstürme zum Einsturz.
The Pentagon attack Die Pentagon-Attacke
Professor Hoffman’s computer animation was shown to help illustrate his Professor Hoffman's Computer Animation gezeigt wurde, um seine illustrieren
explanation for why the hole in the Pentagon wall was so small. Erklärung dafür, warum das Loch in der Wand Pentagon war so klein. The programme did Das Programm hat
not endorse this view and made it clear it had been challenged by many experts. Diese Auffassung nicht anschließen und deutlich gemacht, es wurde von vielen Experten gefordert.
Professor Jim Fetzer and Dylan Avery spoke at length to cast doubt on the official Professor Jim Fetzer und Dylan Avery sprach ausführlich auf Zweifel an der offiziellen
version. Version. The programme examined the evidence on both sides but did not draw any Das Programm untersucht die Beweise auf beiden Seiten, aber nicht ziehen
conclusions. Schlussfolgerungen.
The interview with Col. Steve O’Brien who explained that he saw an unidentified jet Das Interview mit Col. Steve O'Brien, der erklärte, dass er einen unbekannten jet
turn and crash into the Pentagon was balanced with an interview with Professor Jim Turn und Absturz in das Pentagon war ausgewogen mit einem Interview mit Professor Jim
Fetzer who highlighted a number of inconsistencies. Fetzer, die eine Reihe von Ungereimtheiten. The programme therefore Das Programm daher
offered both sides of the argument and left the viewer to draw his own conclusion. Bot beiden Seiten des Arguments und links zu ziehen den Betrachter seine eigene Schlussfolgerung.
Flight 93 Flug 93
9/11: The Conspiracy Files included a number of possible explanations for the fate of 9 / 11: The Conspiracy-Dateien enthalten eine Reihe von möglichen Erklärungen für das Schicksal der
Flight 93. Flight 93. It accurately reflected the concerns of many people that the lack of any Es spiegelt genau die Sorgen vieler Menschen, dass das Fehlen jeglicher
substantial aircraft wreckage casts doubt on the official explanation. Flugzeug Wrack wirft erhebliche Zweifel an der offiziellen Erklärung. The coverage Die Abdeckung
included both sides of the argument. Enthalten beide Seiten des Arguments.
They spoke to people directly involved in the investigation to check known facts. Sie sprach mit Menschen, die direkt an der Untersuchung zu prüfen, bekannte Fakten.
The programme-makers spoke directly to the FBI in Pennsylvania to check what Das Programm Entscheidungsträger sprach direkt an das FBI in Pennsylvania zu prüfen, was
claims had been made by the Bureau. Forderungen wurden durch das Präsidium. The FBI confirmed that the only debris from Das FBI bestätigte, dass nur die Trümmer aus
the plane found within an eight mile radius was light material such as paper and foam. Das Flugzeug innerhalb von acht Meilen Radius wurde Licht Material wie Papier und Schaum.
The programme gave the last word on this issue to Professor Jim Fetzer and Dylan Das Programm hat das letzte Wort zu diesem Thema zu Professor Jim Fetzer und Dylan
Avery, so the viewer was given plenty of opportunity to consider the sceptical view. Avery, so dass der Betrachter erhielt reichlich Gelegenheit, die skeptisch gesehen.
The coroner Wally Miller has gone on record to say that he was misquoted when it Die Coroner Wally Miller hat in den Akten zu sagen, dass er falsch zitiert, wenn es
was reported that he said he “ stopped being coroner after about 20 minutes becausethere becausethere were no bodies there. ” He explained this in the programme. Wurde berichtet, dass er sagte, dass er "nicht mehr Coroner nach ca. 20 Minuten becausethere becausethere wurden keine Stellen gibt." Er erklärte, dies in das Programm. However the Doch die
programme also included an interview with Dylan Avery in which he questioned Mr Programm auch ein Interview mit Dylan Avery, in der er befragt Herr
Miller’s reliability. Miller's Zuverlässigkeit.
Programme Interviews Programm Interviews
The programme-makers read Professor Griffin’s book The New Pearl Harbor andtook andtook his views into account when making 9/11: The Conspiracy Files but decided to Das Programm-Entscheider lesen Professor Griffin's Buch "The New Pearl Harbor andtook andtook seine Ansichten zu berücksichtigen, wenn sie 9 / 11: The Conspiracy Dateien aber beschlossen,
concentrate on three other prominent members of the 9/11 truth movement. Konzentrieren sich auf drei weitere prominente Mitglieder der 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung.
Professor Stephen Jones was approached to take part in the programme but was Professor Stephen Jones war an die Teilnahme an dem Programm wurde aber
unavailable. Nicht verfügbar.
The programme-makers interviewed many witnesses and experts and sought out Das Programm Entscheidungsträger interviewt vielen Zeugen und Sachverständigen und suchte
viewpoints on the most widely-held theories. Sichtweisen auf die weit verbreiteten Theorien. They then made an editorial judgment Sie machte dann eine redaktionelle Urteil
to include what they believed were the strongest and most relevant views. Zu zählen, was sie glaubten, waren die stärksten und relevanten Auffassungen.
Eyewitness accounts provide interesting background information but cannot be Eyewitness-Konten bieten interessante Hintergrundinformationen kann aber nicht sein
regarded as providing conclusive evidence. Als die schlüssigen Beweise. The programme did however address Das Programm hat jedoch Adresse
the issue of secondary explosions and gave Dylan Avery an opportunity to explain Die Frage der sekundäre Explosionen und gab Dylan Avery eine Chance zu erklären,
his theory. Seine Theorie.
The interview with Frank Spotnitz was included to help the viewer understand why Das Interview mit Frank Spotnitz wurde, das dem Zuschauer hilft verstehen, warum
so many people believe in conspiracy theories. So viele Menschen glauben an Verschwörungstheorien. In the same section of the Im gleichen Abschnitt der
programme Alex Jones explained why many people are increasingly willing to Programm Alex Jones erklärt, warum viele Menschen sind zunehmend bereit,
challenge the official version of events. Herausforderung für die offizielle Version der Ereignisse.
The programme-makers say that they could find no convincing evidence that some Das Programm-Hersteller sagen, dass sie finden konnte keine überzeugenden Beweise dafür, dass einige
senior people had been warned not to go to work at the World Trade Centre that Senior Menschen wurden gewarnt, nicht an die Arbeit gehen auf das World Trade Center,
day. Tag. They also spoke directly to the office of Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco Sie sprach auch direkt an das Büro von Bürgermeister Willie Brown von San Francisco
who told the programme that he made no changes to his itinerary on the morning of , Sagte er, dass das Programm keine Änderungen vorgenommen, um seine Route am Morgen des
9/11. 9 / 11.
3.3 ECU response to individual complaints from the three 3,3 ECU Reaktion auf individuelle Beschwerden aus den drei
complainants Beschwerdeführer
There is no evidence to suggest that film-making techniques were used with an Es gibt keine Anzeichen dafür, dass sich die Film-Techniken verwendet wurden mit einer
‘oppressive sinister intent.’ The mood was sombre but consistent throughout the "Bedrückende finsteren Absichten." Die Stimmung war düster, aber konsequent in der gesamten
programme. Programm.
A variety of lighting techniques and framing were used throughout the programme Eine Vielzahl von Beleuchtung und Framing-Techniken verwendet wurden während des gesamten Programms
and many of the interviewees who oppose the views of the truth movement were Und viele der Befragten, die sich gegen die Ansichten der Wahrheit Bewegung wurden
also filmed in similar ways. Auch gefilmt in ähnlicher Weise.
The programme sought to establish the background of the three members of the Das Programm versucht, die Hintergründe der drei Mitglieder des
truth movement. Wahrheit Bewegung. Far from being a ploy to waste time, this was a way to reinforce Weit davon entfernt, ein Trick, um Zeitverschwendung, das war eine Art und Weise zu stärken
their credibility. Ihre Glaubwürdigkeit.
The word drop-out is also defined as ‘a person who rejects conventional society.’ I Das Wort Drop-out ist auch definiert als "eine Person, die die konventionellen Gesellschaft ablehnt." Ich
think it reasonable to suggest that Dylan Avery has rejected conventional society. Halte es für vernünftig, deuten darauf hin, dass Dylan Avery hat konventionellen Gesellschaft.
He walked away from a secure job and moved to Washington DC to pursue his Er ging weg von einem sicheren Arbeitsplatz und zog nach Washington DC zu verfolgen sein
ambition to make films. Ehrgeiz, Filme zu machen. There are also a number of positive descriptions to establish Es gibt auch eine Reihe von positiven Beschreibungen,
Mr Avery’s credibility and explain to viewers why his views are worthy of inclusion. Herr Avery, die Glaubwürdigkeit und die Zuschauer zu erklären, warum seine Ansichten verdienen Eingliederung.
He was described as “ the most prominent voice in the self-styled 9/11 truth movement” Er wurde beschrieben als "die wichtigste Stimme in der Self-styled 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung"
and later “the wunderkind” behind the Loose Change film. Und später "Wunderkind" Loose Change hinter dem Film.
The programme did not claim that the CIA and the FBI did not have forewarning of Das Programm hat nicht den Anspruch, dass die CIA und das FBI keine Vorwarnung von
the attacks. Die Anschläge. The script states: Das Skript lautet:
“The FBI and CIA insist they had no specific warnings of the hijackings on 9/11. "Das FBI und CIA darauf, sie hätten keine konkreten Hinweise auf die Entführungen auf 9 / 11. But it now Aber es jetzt
seems they were less than full and frank about how much information they did have before Scheint sie waren weniger als die vollständige und offene Informationen darüber, wie viel sie getan haben, bevor
Al Qaeda attacked.” Al Qaida angegriffen. "
The programme went on to examine the failure of the intelligence services. Das Programm ging auf zu prüfen, das Versagen der Geheimdienste.
All three of the main interviewees made a number of claims in the programme Alle drei der wichtigsten Befragten wurde eine Reihe von Forderungen auf dem Programm
accusing the US government of being involved in the events of 9/11. Beschuldigen die US-Regierung, dass die in den Ereignissen von 9 / 11. The Die
programme-makers were entirely justified in letting the leading voices of the truth Programm-Entscheidungsträger waren völlig gerechtfertigt, die Vermietung der führenden Stimmen der Wahrheit
movement put forward their case without referring to previous unrelated events. Bewegung ihre Vorschläge Fall ohne vorherigen Hinweis auf unabhängige Ereignisse.
BBC World’s Head of News, Richard Porter, has explained at length the sequence of BBC World's Head of News, Richard Porter, hat erklärt ausführlich die Reihenfolge der
events which led to the BBC report about the collapse of Building 7. Ereignisse, die dazu geführt, die BBC-Bericht über den Zusammenbruch der Bau-7. His blog had Sein Blog hatte
already been sent to the complainants. Bereits an den Beschwerdeführer.
On the issue of casualties in Building 7, the programme-makers were quoting from Auf die Frage der Opfer in Gebäude 7, das Programm Entscheidungsträger waren Zitat aus
the official FEMA report into WTC 7. Der offizielle Bericht in der FEMA WTC 7. This was an independent investigation and noone Dies war eine unabhängige Untersuchung, und niemand
seems to have yet provided proof that on this particular point it is wrong. Scheint noch nicht nachgewiesen, dass auf diesem speziellen Punkt, dass es falsch ist.
9/11: The Conspiracy Files decided not to include Larry Silverstein’s comments (“ We’ve had such terrible loss of life, maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it” ) because he 9 / 11: The Conspiracy hat beschlossen, keine Dateien enthalten Larry Silverstein die Kommentare ( "Wir haben diese schreckliche Verlust von Leben, die vielleicht intelligenteste, was zu tun ist, ziehen Sie sie"), weil er
has since issued a statement saying that what he was referring to was the need to Seitdem hat eine Erklärung veröffentlicht, sagen, dass das, was er auf die Notwendigkeit,
pull the fire-fighting contingent out of the building, not pull the building down itself. Ziehen Sie die Brandbekämpfung Kontingent aus dem Gebäude, das Gebäude nicht Pull-down.
The theory that Flight 93 and another aircraft were diverted to Ohio because of Die Theorie, dass ein weiterer Flug-und 93 Flugzeuge wurden umgeleitet, weil der Ohio
bomb threats was well documented in the programme. Bombendrohungen wurde gut dokumentiert auf dem Programm.
The claim that thousands of Jewish people stayed at home that day was examined in Die Behauptung, dass Tausende von jüdischen Menschen blieben zu Hause an diesem Tag wurde in
the programme, but the script treated the allegations in the same dispassionate way Das Programm, sondern das Skript behandelt die Vorwürfe in der gleichen Gelassenheit,
as other claims. Wie andere Ansprüche. The origin of this particular story was explained in the programme. Der Ursprung dieser Geschichte wurde erklärt, insbesondere auf dem Programm.
There was no suggestion that any of the conspiracy theorists in the programme Es war kein Vorschlag, dass jede der Verschwörungstheoretiker im Programm
supported this claim. Unterstützt diese Forderung. I do not believe that any average member of the audience Ich glaube nicht, dass jeder durchschnittliche Mitglied des Publikums
would conclude that the programme implied that anyone questioning the official Würde dem Schluss, dass das Programm an, dass jeder Befragung der offiziellen
version of events on 9/11 was anti-Semitic. Version der Ereignisse am 9 / 11 war antisemitisch.
It is clear that the sentence “ Case closed ?” is delivered as a question. Es ist klar, dass der Satz "Case geschlossen?" Wird als eine Frage. The last Die letzte
comment from the narrator goes even further to make it clear that the final Kommentar aus der Erzählerin geht sogar so weit, um deutlich zu machen, dass die endgültige
conclusion of the programme is that the truth of what happened on 9/11 will remain Abschluss des Programms ist, dass die Wahrheit dessen, was sich an 9 / 11 bleiben
a subject of great controversy: Ein Thema von großer Kontroversen:
“The 9/11 conspiracy file is certain to remain open for a very long time to come….however "The 9 / 11 Verschwörung bestimmte Datei geöffnet bleiben, für eine sehr lange Zeit zu kommen…. Aber
distressing and painful that will be for the families of those who died that day.” Erschreckend und schmerzhaft wird für die Familien derer, die starben an diesem Tag. "
4. Further points made to the ESC Weitere Punkte auf der ESC -
· Dylan Avery is not an engineering expert neither are Alex Jones nor Jim Fetzer. Dylan Avery ist nicht ein Engineering-Experten sind weder Alex Jones noch Jim Fetzer.
Yet you give time for, and go into graphic and scientific detail of, the official Doch die Zeit für Sie, und gehen Sie in die Grafik und wissenschaftliche Detail, die von der offiziellen
account of the twin towers collapse. Konto der Zwillingstürme zusammenbrechen.
· For the truth movement, Flight 93 is the least clear evidence of a government Für die Wahrheit Bewegung, Flight 93 ist das Mindeste, eindeutige Beweise für eine Regierung
cover-up. Cover-up.
· Regardless of how it got there, it is officially acknowledged that debris from Unabhängig davon, wie es kam, es ist offiziell anerkannt, dass die Ablagerungen aus
Flight 93 was found 8 miles away – in New Baltimore, not Indian Lake. Flight 93 ergab 8 Meilen entfernt - in New Baltimore, nicht Indian Lake. The Die
documentary misleads the viewer and misrepresents the 9/11 truth movement Dokumentarfilm verleitet den Betrachter und verdreht die 9 / 11 Wahrheit Bewegung
by stating that “ it’s claimed Indian Lake is nearly 7 miles from the crash site” then Mit der Feststellung, dass "es ist behauptet Indian Lake ist fast 7 Kilometer von der Absturzstelle", dann
stating it’s only 1 mile away as the crow flies. Die besagt, es ist nur 1 Meile entfernt in der Luftlinie. The truth movement though isn’t Die Wahrheit ist aber, dass Bewegung nicht
referring to Indian lake but to New Baltimore. Verweis auf indischen See aber nach New Baltimore.
5. Applicable Programme Standards Geltende Normen Programm
Section 1 - BBC Editorial Values Abschnitt 1 - BBC Editorial Werte
Truth and Accuracy Wahrheit und Genauigkeit
We strive to be accurate and establish the truth of what has happened. Wir bemühen uns um Richtigkeit und die Wahrheit von dem, was geschehen ist. Accuracy is Genauigkeit ist
more important than speed and it is often more than a question of getting the facts Wichtiger als die Geschwindigkeit, und es ist oft mehr als eine Frage der Tatsachen
right. Rechts. We will weigh all relevant facts and information to get at the truth. Wir wägen alle relevanten Fakten und Informationen zu bekommen, die Wahrheit. Our output Unsere Leistung
will be well sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly tested and presented in Werden auch Quellen, auf der Grundlage solider Beweise, gründlich getestet und präsentiert in
clear, precise language. Klare, präzise Sprache. We will be honest and open about what we don’t know and Wir werden offen und ehrlich über das, was wir nicht wissen, und
avoid unfounded speculation. Vermeidung von Spekulationen unbegründet.
Impartiality and Diversity of Opinion Unparteilichkeit und Vielfalt des Gutachtens
We strive to be fair and open minded and reflect all significant strands of opinion by Wir sind bemüht, fair und offen und spiegeln alle wesentlichen Bereiche der Stellungnahme
exploring the range and conflict of views. Erkunden der Reichweite und der Konflikt angesehen. We will be objective and even handed in Wir werden objektive und sogar in Händen
our approach to a subject. Unser Ansatz zu einem Thema. We will provide professional judgments where Wir bieten professionelle Urteile, wo
appropriate, but we will never promote a particular view on controversial matters of Angemessen, aber wir werden niemals eine bestimmte Sicht auf kontroverse Fragen der
public policy or political or industrial controversy. Der öffentlichen Ordnung oder der politischen oder industriellen Kontroverse.
Section 3 - Accuracy Abschnitt 3 - Genauigkeit
Introduction Einführung
The BBC’s commitment to accuracy is a core editorial value and fundamental to our Die BBC's Engagement für die Genauigkeit ist eine Kernkompetenz redaktionellen Wert und von grundlegender Bedeutung für unsere
reputation. Ruf. Our output must be well sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly Unsere Leistung muss auch stammen, auf der Grundlage solider Beweise, gründlich
tested and presented in clear, precise language. Getestet und präsentiert in einer klaren, präzisen Sprache. We should be honest and open Wir sollten ehrlich und offen
about what we don’t know and avoid unfounded speculation. Über das, was wir nicht wissen, und zur Vermeidung von Spekulationen unbegründet.
For the BBC accuracy is more important than speed and it is often more than a Für die BBC Genauigkeit ist wichtiger als die Geschwindigkeit, und es ist oft mehr als nur ein
question of getting the facts right. Frage immer die richtigen Fakten. All the relevant facts and information should be Alle relevanten Fakten und Informationen sollten
weighed to get at the truth. If an issue is controversial, relevant opinions as well as
facts may need to be considered.
We aim to achieve accuracy by:
· the accurate gathering of material using first hand sources wherever possible.
· checking and cross checking the facts.
· validating the authenticity of documentary evidence and digital material.
· corroborating claims and allegations made by contributors wherever possible.
Fact checking
We must check and verify information, facts and documents, particularly those
researched on the internet. This may include confirming with an individual or
organisation that they posted material and that it is accurate. Even the most
convincing material on the web may not be what it seems.
Misleading audiences
We should not distort known facts, present invented material as fact, or knowingly
do anything to mislead our audiences. We may need to label material to avoid doing
so.
Section 4 - Impartiality and Diversity of Opinion
Introduction Einführung
Impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC’s commitment to its audiences. It applies
across all of our services and output, whatever the format, from radio news bulletins
via our web sites to our commercial magazines and includes a commitment to
reflecting a diversity of opinion.
The Agreement accompanying the BBC’s Charter1 Charter1 …specifies that we should do all
we can to treat controversial subjects with due accuracy and impartiality in our news
services and other programmes dealing with matters of public policy or of political
or industrial controversy. It also states that the BBC is forbidden from expressing an
opinion on current affairs or matters of public policy other than broadcasting.
In practice, our commitment to impartiality means:…
· we exercise our editorial freedom to produce content about any subject, at
any point on the spectrum of debate as long as there are good editorial
reasons for doing so.
· we can explore or report on a specific aspect of an issue or provide an
opportunity for a single view to be expressed, but in doing so we do not
misrepresent opposing views. They may also require a right of reply…
· the approach to, and tone of, BBC stories must always reflect our editorial
values. Presenters, reporters and correspondents are the public face and
voice of the BBC, they can have a significant impact on the perceptions of our
impartiality…
Achieving impartiality
Impartiality must be adequate and appropriate to our output. Our approach to
achieving it will therefore vary according to the nature of the subject, the type of
output, the likely audience expectation and the extent to which the content and
approach is signposted to our audiences.
Impartiality is described in the Agreement as “due impartiality”. It requires us to be
fair and open minded when examining the evidence and weighing all the material
1 The words omitted here relate to the 1996 Agreement and Charter and are not relevant to the
2006 Agreement and Charter
facts, as well as being objective and even handed in our approach to a subject. It does
not require the representation of every argument or facet of every argument on
every occasion or an equal division of time for each view.
6. The Committee’s decision
The Committee considered the complaint against the relevant editorial standards,
including the BBC’s values and other standards set out in the Editorial Guidelines.
The Committee took into account all the material before it relating to the appeal;
this included submissions from all the relevant parties to the complaint who were
asked to comment on the material going before the Committee.
The Committee recognised the right to freedom of expression2 expression2 allowed
interviewees to express opinions, content producers to include information and
ideas in their output, and audiences to receive them as long as the law, regulation
and, in the BBC’s case, the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines were complied with.
The Committee at the outset noted that the programme had not been an
investigation which aimed to solve what had happened on 11 September 2001. It
recognised that it was one of a series of programmes looking at the phenomenon of
the conspiracy theory and in doing so had highlighted a number of specific events
where well publicised and popular theories had arisen to contradict the official
version of events.
The Committee also noted that it was not within its remit to come to a view as to
which, if any of the versions, may or may not have been correct. Its task was to
determine whether the programme had been in breach of the BBC’s Editorial
Guidelines on accuracy and impartiality.
In considering impartiality the Committee noted that the guidelines required that it
must be adequate and appropriate to the output. The Committee took into account
2 Freedom of Expression
1) Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include
freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas
without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This
Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting,
television or cinema enterprises.
2) The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and
responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or
penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society,
in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for
the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals,
for the protection of the reputation or the rights of others, for preventing
the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the
authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
that in assessing whether the guidelines were complied with the Committee should
consider what impartiality was due to a programme about conspiracy theories taking
into account the audience expectation for such a programme and the extent to
which the content and approach was signposted to the audience.
The Committee set out five questions it would consider in its finding:
A) Were the most significant theories considered?
B) Was there appropriate representation from both sides of the argument?
C) Were the arguments articulated clearly?
D) Was it appropriate to include Frank Spotnitz to talk about conspiracy
theories?
E) Did the programme present the 9/11 theorists in a negative way?
A) Were the most significant theories considered?
The Committee was aware that there are a number of conspiracy theories
concerning the events leading up to/on the day of /on the days after 11 September
2001. The Committee noted the six theories the programme concentrated on:
i) The attack on the Twin Towers
- Did the planes bring down the Twin Towers or were
explosives used by government agencies?
ii) World Trade Centre Building 7
- Did WTC7 collapse as a result of the damage and collapse of
the Twin Towers or was it deliberately demolished by
government agencies?
iii) Attack on the Pentagon
- Did a commercial passenger plane crash into the Pentagon or not?
Was this incident a self-inflicted attack?
iv) Flight United 93
- Did Flight United 93 crash as stated officially or was it blown
up in mid-air?
v) The Jewish community in New York
- Did the Jewish community in New York go to work as planned or
had the Jewish community been “tipped-off” by Israeli intelligence
to stay away from work?
vi) FBI/CIA Conspiracy
- Did the agencies know of the attacks in advance and ignore
them?
- Was there subsequent cover up of failures by the agencies to
act on information prior to 9/11?
The Committee noted that impartiality:
“… does not require the representation of every argument or facet of every
argument on every occasion or an equal division of time for each view”.
The Committee was satisfied that whilst some viewers would not have agreed with
the choice of theories included in the programme, the ones that had been included
reflected mainstream theories that the majority of the audience would have some
awareness of. The Committee was satisfied that the programme had complied with
the guideline on impartiality that allowed the programme:
“[..] the editorial freedom to produce content about any subject, at any point
on the spectrum of debate, as long as there are good editorial reasons for
doing so.”
The Committee recognised that the inclusion of the theory regarding the absence of
members of the Jewish community from work on the day of 9/11 was not one that
was supported by the main body of conspiracy theorists. It had originated in the
Middle East and the programme accurately reflected this. However, the Committee
recognised that it was a widely known theory and was established as a theory to
those not in the main community of conspiracy theorists. The Committee was
therefore satisfied that there was a good editorial reason for considering this theory
alongside the other theories included within the programme and no anti-Semitism
was implied.
The Committee did not consider it necessary to explore the “history of deceit” of
the US government or Operation Northwood to satisfy the accuracy guideline to
“weigh all relevant facts…to get at the truth”. The Committee was satisfied that the
theories covered in the programme were sufficient to provide the audience with
enough relevant information for them to draw their own conclusions with regard to
the activities of the US government in the incidents relating to 9/11. The purpose of
the programme was to consider specific theories related to the incidents on 9/11
and not conspiracy theories relating to other events in US history.
The Committee was therefore satisfied that the programme had presented an
appropriate selection of conspiracy theories.
B) Was there appropriate representation from both sides of the argument?
The Committee considered how the programme had set about presenting the
different theories and rebuttals in looking at the various arguments and theories as
to how the event unfolded and who was to blame. In doing so the Committee
considered whether the guideline had been met that required the BBC:
“… to be fair and open minded when examining the evidence and weighing all
the material facts, as well as being objective and even handed in our approach
to a subject. It does not require the representation of every argument or
facet of every argument on every occasion or an equal division of time for
each view.
The Committee noted how the production team had set out its proposition for the
programme:
Voice over (V/O):
We all remember where we were on the day the world changed…
….but do we know what really happened?
Look closer through the smoke and horror, say conspiracy theories…..
…..and you’ll find that not everything was as it first appeared.
Alex Jones (AJ):
The bottom line 9/11 is an inside job. It’sa self inflicted wound, it’sa false
flag…terror operation
President Bush:
Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of Sept
11th 11th
V/O:
Many say the official account doesn’t add up…..
Overlay:
Listen, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
V/O:
…And the questions keep coming
Jim Fetzer (JF):
As Sherlock Holmes was fond of observing, “When you have eliminated the
impossible whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth.”
V/O:
There are more than 50 different conspiracy theories about 9/11- it’s the first
global event in the age of the internet.
Dylan Avery (DA):
We’re just civilians man. We’re people who have questions.
V/O:
If a large passenger jet crashed into the Pentagon…why was the hole in the exterior
wall apparently so small?
Was wreckage found miles from the crash site of one of the hijacked planes which
proved that it was shot down?
DA:
Our government will willingly kill its own citizens for whatever gain it seems
necessary and then lie as much as they need to cover it up.
V/O:
Could a controlled demolition have caused this building to collapse at the World
Trade Centre?
AJ:
I don’t believe it was a controlled demolition, I know it was a controlled demolition.
Cheryl Shames (sister of Andrew Zucker) :
If these theories were true, then why did my brother go to work that day? Did he
want to die? No.
V/O:
So why do so many people doubt what the American government tells them about
9/11?
JF:
Well there’s the old saying, just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t
out to get you.
The Committee also considered how the programme looked at the various theories
included within the programme. The Committee noted other sections of dialogue
within the programme. The first section looked at the collapse of the Twin Towers:
V/O:
In his film Dylan Avery suggests that the Twin Towers were brought down by
explosives…
Clip from Dylan Avery’s film (Loose Change):
Do you still think that jet fuel brought down the World Trade Centre?
Watch carefully: The tripod shakes 12 seconds before the North Tower begins
collapsing. In all the videos of the collapses, explosions can be seen bursting from
the building 20 to 30 stories below the demolition wave:
Here… here and here.
V/O:
The official explanation suggests that when each plane slammed into the tower it
damaged the core structure.
Then the ensuing fire weakened the building further.
Although steel needs 1,500 degrees Celsius to melt, at 650 degrees it loses half its Although steel needs 1500 degrees Celsius to melt, at 650 degrees it loses half its
strength.
The load bearing beams buckled when they were unable to carry the weight
above…..
…..and the floors progressively caved in.
V/O:
This is three floors of the World Trade Centre - and everything in them –
compressed and fused together into a slab about three feet thick.
Davin Coburn (Popular Mechanics):
When those towers collapsed - remember those collapses began from the top, they
did not begin from the bottom. So when the floors began crashing down upon
themselves, the air just simply looked for the path of least resistance and generally
that went straight out the windows and a little bit of debris and smoke went with
them, and that sort of represents those puffs that some people think were some
sort of squibs, or other explosive charge.
DA:
Their authority is tractors, OK? They should stick to what they know. Popular
Mechanics is the last company that should be “investigating” 9-11.
The Committee also considered a later section of dialogue where American Airlines
flight AA77 crashed into the Pentagon. The programme stated:
V/O:
As flight AA77 descended in a wide turn over the capital and lined up with its
target, there was a military C130 plane -…..
….like this one - flying above Washington.
JF:
There’sa lot of suspicion here that that C130 may in fact have been controlling the
aircraft that hit the Pentagon.
Commentary Question
What you’re saying is that the pilot was the person who caused the crash at the
Pentagon?
JF:
I can’t say that for a certainty but there’sa lot of reason to suspect that this circling
C130 may have been the control vehicle for the plane that was approaching the
Pentagon.
V/O:
This is that aircraft .
Steve O’Brien (Lt Minnesota National Guard) (SB):
Well, here’sa chart of the Washington DC area.
V/O:
And this is the pilot.
SB:
….and here’s Andrew Air Force base right here
V/O:
Lieutenant Colonel O’Brien was on a routine flight but as he flew over central
Washington, Air Traffic Control reported an unidentified jet fast approaching on his
left hand side.
NORAD ATC RECORDING:
- Latest report, aircraft five, six miles southeast of the White House.
- Six miles southeast of the White House?
SB:
It had that distinctive silver finish. in our minds it was definitely an American airlines
aircraft.
Then as he moved to our 11 o’clock position he started his turn. And by the time
he got to our 12 o’clock position, right out the front of our aircraft, he was rolled up
into about, I would estimate, 30 -40 degrees of bank, which is considerable for
commercial airliner.
And then all of a sudden we saw this big explosion.
And I keyed the mic again and said Washington, this is Gopher 0-6. That plane has
hit the west side of the Pentagon.
V/O:
Later, when Steve O’Brien was back home in Minnesota he found himself at the
centre of a conspiracy theory.
SB:
Not having been part of a major event like this before, you’re somewhat detached.
But when you’re actually a witness to it and actually became a part of these
conspiracies, it’sa lot more personal. And concerning to me that people would
think that I would have the ability to, or want to do something like this. So it’sa
little bit disconcerting, but at the same time it gives you another insight into how
wrong a lot of these conspiracies are, but yet they continue and take on a life of
their own so to speak.
JF:
How do you know a single word of what he said is true? His story is inconsistent
with the evidence we have. It’s not even physically possible given the laws of
aerodynamics that a Boeing 757 could have taken the trajectory attributed to it,
which I presume he confirmed which is that this plane barely skimmed the ground
en route to its target. That’s not even physically possible, which is a guarantee that
what he was saying was false.
The Committee was satisfied that in these example extracts and throughout the
programme views from both sides of the argument relating to each theory set out
above were put forward in a manner that ensured that the programme had achieved
due impartiality. The Committee recognised that for those who felt strongly on
either side of the argument the programme’s treatment of each theory may have
been less detailed than they would have liked, but it was not the purpose of this
programme to deliver an in depth analysis of each theory nor a verdict on the
veracity of each theory. It was the view of the Committee that the impartiality due
to this subject matter, which had been clearly signposted to the audience, was to
give sufficient information both in support of the various theories and in support of
the official view, to enable the viewer to have a reasonable understanding of the
various arguments. The Committee was satisfied that the programme had been “fair
and open minded when examining the evidence and weighing the material facts”. As
to whether equal time should have been given to both sides of the arguments, the
Committee noted that as long as the programme was objective and even handed it
was not required to “represent every argument” or provide “an equal division of
time for each view”. The Committee was satisfied that the programme had been
objective and even handed in its presentation of the various theories.
With regard to some of the complainants’ specific complaints the Committee was
satisfied that it was not necessary to include the detail relating to the debris of Flight
93 in New Baltimore to meet the guideline on accuracy or to explore this issue
further to satisfy impartiality. The Committee was satisfied that the programme had
provided sufficient information on the spread of debris of Flight 93 without it being
necessary to consider every facet of every theory about the debris to ensure
impartiality. The Committee considered the information presented by the
production team was sufficiently accurate to have provided viewers with enough
detail to understand the general view of the dispute about the area of the debris
field. The Committee did not consider it necessary to include additional theories on
the spread of debris in order to achieve impartiality. The guidelines state that it is
not a requirement for programmes to:
“[represent] every argument or every facet of every argument on every
occasion”
The Committee considered the same guideline applied to the complainants concerns
that Larry Silverstein and the emergency workers at the scene of the collapse of the
WTC7 building were not included or the testimony of the fire-fighters or the theory
relating to the Mayor of San Francisco or an interview with Bill Coyle of the coalition
of 9/11 families. The Committee was satisfied that the programme team was entitled
to:
“produce content about any subject at any point on the spectrum of debate,
as long as there are good editorial reasons for doing so”
The Committee was, therefore, satisfied that considering the difficulty and
complexity of the programme’s subject matter the programme had provided a fair
and open minded presentation of the various theories and that it had successfully
met the guidelines on due impartiality.
As to the choice of contributors, the Committee was satisfied that the programme
had provided appropriate and relevant representatives from both sides of the
argument to articulate the various views. The Committee recognised that with such
contentious views being presented not every viewer would be pleased with the
choice of contributors. Nevertheless, the Committee was satisfied having
considered the programme as a whole that the various arguments of the theories
highlighted had been sufficiently articulated to ensure that the lay viewer would have
been provided with enough information to have had a basic understanding of the
arguments for each of the theories presented.. The Committee considered Dylan
Avery, Professor Jim Fetzer and Talk-show host Alex Jones appropriate
representatives for the “truth movement”. They had achieved a level of recognition
and authority within the pro-theorist groups to be able to articulate the views of the
movement in relation to each of the presented theories (with the exception of the
theory relating to the Jewish community which was not a view promoted or
supported by the majority of those involved in the “truth movement”). The
Committee, whilst it accepted that the individual complainants did not necessarily
agree with the choice of representative for their views, was satisfied that the
production team had ensured that the contributors had appropriate credentials to
provide an authoritative view of the conspiracy theorists arguments.
The Committee noted how the programme had introduced Dylan Avery:
V/O:
Upstate New York – home to the most prominent voice in the self-styled
9/11 truth movement.
Clip from Loose Change Dylan Avery’s internet film:
9.38, Arlington Virginia… Hani Hanjour allegedly executes a 330 degree turn at
530 miles per hour, […] to crash American Airlines flight 77 into the ground floor
of the Pentagon…explosion
V/O:
Loose Change…….is the internet film, which, more than anything else, has
fanned the flames of 9/11 conspiracies.
Dylan Avery (DA):
Come on guys…
V/O:
And Dylan Avery is the wunderkind behind that film.
DA:
That’s Jonas:
Howdy!
Luke – foot soldier - one of the best people in New York for truth
Jay Mandrish - cook slash dishwasher… Just kidding man.
This is our office. No one’s in here yet.
That’s really about it in terms of this room. And that leads us to my room.
This is it…
Interviewer:
So this is where you work?
DA:
This is where the magic happens. Yes sir!
V/O:
Loose Change has become an internet phenomenon…. viewed tens of millions of
times. To reach a global audience this big in the past, you’d have needed the
backing of a Hollywood studio. Now all you need is a modicum of technical
knowledge and a bargain basement computer.
DA:
Well Guy, this is the laptop that started it all. In February 2003 after saving up for
two months or so I went to a Radio Shack and bought this and had it the next
morning and started editing what would become Loose Change, the documentary.
V/O:
Dylan Avery is riding the crest of a wave of interest in conspiracies.
…and is being feted by Hollywood. He now has a distribution deal and is recutting
his film for cinema release later this year.
Not bad for a 23 year old self-confessed drop out.
The many questions he raises about 9/11 have proliferated through the internet
and have been picked up by mainstream media around the world…
The Committee was satisfied that it was reasonable for the programme as part of
introducing one of the most famous conspiracy theorists to explain who he is and his
background. It is a recognised technique of introducing a significant contributor to a
programme and one which was used throughout the programme, one way or
another, when introducing the other main contributors to the programme.
The Committee was also satisfied that the description of Dylan Avery as a “23 year
old self-confessed drop out” was used accurately and fairly as that was a description
he used to describe himself. The Committee also considered the introduction
appropriate as it provided specific information as to the contributor’s background
and skills as a modern film maker using the internet as a resource for his research as
well as an outlet for his film.
A) Were the arguments articulated clearly?
The Committee was satisfied that in the presentation of the various theories
referred to above, including the graphic representations, the production team had
accurately put forward the broad details of each of the theories and, therefore, did
not mislead. The facts as much as they could be established had been thoroughly
checked. The inclusion or exclusion of facts and interviewees was for the BBC to
determine as long as the guidelines were complied with. The Committee was
satisfied that the programme’s choice of contributors, whilst not to the liking of all
the viewers, had ensured that the various theories and rebuttals had been clearly and
appropriately articulated to enable the audience to come to an appropriate
understanding of the various arguments.
The Committee was also satisfied that the programme in choosing the contributors
to articulate the various arguments, both for and against each theory, had carried
out appropriate checks on the contributors suitability and understanding of the
issues to ensure that each view was presented clearly and accurately.
The complaint was not upheld.
As to the individual theories presented by the programme:
(1) ATTACK ON TWIN TOWERS:
The Committee was satisfied that the programme had provided an accurate
description of the official explanation of how the Twin Towers collapsed. The
Committee was also satisfied that the accompanying graphic had clearly set out
the official version of the Twin Towers collapse. The Committee recognised that
the explanation (which included the graphic) had, by its nature, been relatively
simple, but this had been acceptable given the time that the programme could
devote to the theory. The Committee also noted that an alternative explanation
for the collapse had been put forward by the programme. As to whether equal
time should have been given to both of these views, the Committee did not
believe it was necessary to achieve impartiality. The relevant BBC guideline
makes clear in order to achieve due impartiality:
“It requires us (the BBC) to be fair and opened minded when examining the
evidence and weighing all the material facts, as well as being objective and
even handed in our approach to a subject. It does not require the
representation of every argument or facet of every argument on every
occasion or an equal division of time for each view”
The Committee also noted that it was not a requirement for the programme to
present every argument or every facet of an argument to achieve impartiality.
The programme had put forward an opposing argument regarding the collapse of
the Twin Towers and from that the audience would have had sufficient
information to have understood that there were alternative opinions to the
official version of the event.
(2) BUILDING 7
The Committee noted that the description of this theory was similar in form to
that of the collapse of the Twin Towers with first a conspiracy theory being put
forward and then the official explanation. The Committee was satisfied that the
narrative of the theory and the official version of events were even-handed. The
Committee noted that the alternative view which was given further context by
the suggestion that a number of Government agencies had offices in the WTC 7
and was demolished to hide evidence of a deliberate policy by the US
government to bring down the Towers and blame external forces, was raised
without rebuttal. The Committee was also satisfied given the context and time
in which to provide detail of both views that the arguments had been accurately
presented.
As to the issue of whether it had been accurate for the programme to state:
“The building had been evacuated and there were no casualties”
The Committee noted that the source for this statement had been the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As such, in the face of no other
evidence to disprove this report the Committee was satisfied that this statement
was accurate as far as was known, but it did accept that others took a different
view to the official statement.
Nevertheless the Committee was satisfied that the reporting of the lack of
injuries was not evidence of bias by the programme in favour of the authorities
or part of a cover-up.
(3) ATTACK ON THE PENTAGON
The Committee noted that in the programme one theory concerning the attack
on the Pentagon was presented. It noted how the two views were addressed
and was satisfied that the presentation of both arguments relating to this
particular theory was accurately and impartially portrayed. It also considered the
narrative for either view provided sufficient opportunity to ensure that the
viewer was not misled as to the explanation of the varying opinions.
The Committee noted that this was not the only theory relating to the Pentagon
attack but was one which many people viewing the programme would have been
aware of. The Committee also noted that the choice of which theory to be
considered within a programme was for the programme makers to decide, it was
not a requirement of the programme to consider all theories or issues related to
a particular event as stated in the BBC’s editorial guideline on achieving
impartiality
“[impartiality] does not require the representation of every argument or
facet of every argument on every occasion or an equal division of time for
each view”.
Therefore the Committee was satisfied that it was not necessary for the
programme to raise the question as to whether the Pentagon was protected
from attack with a missile defence or that a Boeing 757 could not physically fly at
ground level.
(4) PENTAGON PART 2
The Committee was also satisfied that the differing opinions of the official
version and “truth movement” were clearly and fairly presented in the
programme and that both views were provided with sufficient time to put their
case. The Committee considered the presentation of the theory was accurate
and impartial.
(5) FLIGHT UNITED 93
The Committee was also satisfied that the two theories presented about Flight
93, plus the official version of the events, were given sufficient time to enable the
viewer to understand each version and that the arguments had been presented
accurately and impartially.
The Committee did not agree that the programme, in looking at the incident of
Flight 93 was required to consider all theories and reports relating to the
wreckage of this plane to ensure accuracy and impartiality regarding this
particular incident. The Committee recognised that it was up to the programme
makers and BBC management to decide as to which theories it would consider
in order to provide a reasonable representation of the theories surrounding the
incidents related to 9/11 as stated in the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines:
“we exercise our editorial freedom to produce content about any subject, at
any point on the spectrum of debate as long as there are good editorial
reasons for doing so”
(6) FBI/CIA CONSPIRACY
The Committee noted how the programme considered the involvement of the
FBI/CIA with regard to the events of 9/11. It noted how the programme set out
its investigation:
Voice over:
“ And there’s one story where the evidence does stack up against the Government.
The FBI and CIA insist they had no specific warnings of the hijackings on 9/11.
But it no seems they were less than full and frank about how much information
they did have before Al Qaeda attacked.”
The theory being investigated was one of governmental cover up following 9/11
into what the FBI/CIA had known of the hijackers in the period before 9/11.
The Committee then noted how the programme presented this argument with
the testimonies of officers from both agencies and with the comments of Bob
Graham the Co-Chair of the Congressional inquiry into 9/11.
The Committee recognised that in the presentation of this theory a conspiracy
theorist had not been included to offset the views expressed by the officers of
the two agencies. However, the Committee did not consider it was necessary
for a theorist to be included in this section of the programme to ensure balance.
The question was whether the agencies had known of the hijackers prior to 9/11
and if they had, was the US government honest in what it said about the extent
of its knowledge after the event?
The Committee noted some of contributions made to the programme:
Dale Watson (Head of Counter Terrorism 1999-2002 FBI):
“I knew another attack was coming. I knew another attack was coming. The
obvious question behind that is why didn’t you do something about it? We had no
specific information. It was just this gut feeling… it was just they’re planning
something. We would see the planning….the communications or whatever we
were monitoring would drop off and then you would know…this is not a good
time.”
Voice over:
“17 days before 9/11, the penny dropped.
Had the two terrorists in San Diego been arrested, there was a chance that the
whole plot could have been prised open…. but they had long moved on and
disappeared.
It wasn’ta lack of intelligence; it was a failure to act on that intelligence.”
Michael Scheuer (Chief of Osama Bin Laden Unit 1996-1999 CIA):
“Certainly the idea that they couldn’t be found in the US was true but only because
the FBI is such an incompetent organisation.
There’s no intelligence problem. You can’t have an intelligence failure when you
have information and you refuse to act on it. And that’s what Americans should
understand. If there was a conspiracy, it was a conspiracy to avoid taking a risk.
Not a conspiracy to make sure America got attacked.
The Committee also noted the following exchange:
Voice over:
“In Washington after the attacks, a Congressional inquiry tried to find out what had
gone wrong at the CIA and FBI.
It uncovered that not only were there intelligence mistakes before 9/11, but also
that afterwards the government had been less than open in admitting to those
failures.”
Bob Graham (Co-Chair of the Congressional Inquiry into 9/11):
“I can just state that within 9/11 there are too many secrets. That is information
that has not been made available to the public for which there are specific tangible,
credible answers. And that that withholding of those secrets has eroded public
confidence in their government as it relates to their own security”
Voice over:
“[…] Senator Graham found that the cover-up led to the heart of the
administration.”
Bob Graham:
“I called the White House and talked with Miss Rice and said look we’d been told
that we’d get cooperation in this inquiry. And she said she’d look into it and nothing
happened.
- Was there any sense of embarrassment or apology or…?
No, embarrassment, apology, regret those are not characteristics associated with
the current White House.”
Interviewer:
“ So it was a conspiracy to cover up the fact that blunders had been made in the
lead up to 9/11?”
Bob Graham:
“If by conspiracy you mean more than one person involved, yes, there was more
than one person and there was some collaboration of efforts among agencies and
the administration to keep information out of the public’s hands.”
The Committee was satisfied that the theory the programme it had set out to
consider ie US government cover up as to what the two agencies had known of
the hijackers prior to 9/11, had been handled appropriately. Opinions from
people working with the agencies at the time of 9/11 showed the varying views
on culpability of the two agencies as to how much information was known and
what could have been done to prevent the attacks from happening. In terms of
what happened after 9/11 Senator Graham was entitled to express his opinion as
chair of the congressional inquiry as to whether the administration had been ‘less
than open’. A conspiracy theorist’s view was not required here.
The Committee recognised that this was only one of a number of theories
surrounding the possible involvement of the FBI/CIA into the events of 9/11. But
noted that the choice of which theory to be considered within a programme was
for the programme makers to decide, it was not a requirement of the
programme to consider all theories or issues related to a particular event to
ensure impartiality.
As to whether the agencies had actually been involved in masterminding the
events of 9/11 the Committee noted that the “truth movement’s” perspective on
this issue had been raised in an earlier section of the programme which referred
to the alleged deliberate demolition of both the CIA’s and FBI’s offices in WTC7.
The Committee recognised that whilst this issue had not been expounded upon
beyond the reference in the earlier part of the programme, to not mention it
further was not a breach of guidelines as the programme was left to decide what
it could and could not cover in the time it had to put forward the range of
theories surrounding 9/11.
D) Was it appropriate to include Frank Spotnitz to talk about conspiracy theories?
The Committee noted the dialogue and the introductory contribution of Frank
Spotnitz:
V/O:
Among those who understand why conspiracy theories take root are people who
make a living…. out of telling stories.
Frank Spotnitz (FS):
I, not surprisingly, have thought a lot about conspiracy theories and why they’re
popular because it was so much of our bread and butter on the X Files, which I
wrote for, for eight years.
We’re all storytellers. Narratives about who we are, about who the people in our
lives are and about the world around us, we collect the information we have and we
construct these narratives and they help us make sense of that’s going on. And I
think we still live by these narratives and there’s, there’s religious myths we live by.
But now in the modern age, particularly popular are the secular myths, there are
these conspiracy theories. And assemble bits of information and tell ourselves
stories. And I think the world is so complicated that conspiracy theories are very
appealing, cause they take only a few bits of information and string them together
in a way that seem logical, and to certain people, with a certain political or
ideological bent, pleasing in fact because it, it vindicates, it justifies what you already
believe.
The Committee was satisfied that there was a good editorial reason for a
programme looking at the phenomenon of conspiracy theories to talk to someone
who was publicly known and associated with conspiracy theories. The Committee
considered Mr Spotnitz’s contribution was relevant to the subject matter being
discussed and that his credentials as a suitable contributor spoke for themselves.
The Committee also recognised that as Mr Spotnitz was himself associated to a
specific conspiracy theory concerning the incidents of 11 September 2001 it was
reasonable for the programme to include his views on the background to the
rationale of why conspiracy theories arise. As to whether his views were balanced
the Committee was satisfied that looking at the programme as a whole there was
sufficient concerns raised by those in the truth movement to offset those of Mr
Spotnitz. His contribution had not been a breach of guidelines.
The complaint was not upheld.
E) Did the programme present the 9/11 theorists in a negative way?
The Committee was satisfied that there was no evidence to suggest that the
programme had presented the theorists in a negative way either in the way the
individual contributors were referred to or in how they were presented ie filmed.
The Committee was satisfied that it was appropriate to refer to Dylan Avery as a
“self confessed drop-out” as that was a description he had given himself. As to the
suggestion that the programme had filmed the conspiracy theorists in a negative
manner, the Committee was satisfied, having viewed the programme, that that there
was no evidence to support that complaint.
The complaint was not upheld.
In conclusion, the Committee did not uphold any of the complaints raised against the
programme regarding issues of accuracy or impartiality. The Committee noted that
the programme had presented some of the most well known theories in a fair and
accurate manner, ensuring that the arguments had been articulated clearly. The
choice of contributors was credible and appropriate including that of Mr Spotnitz,
who provided a relevant contribution to the understanding of the nature and
phenomenon of the conspiracy theory - the purpose of the programme. The
Committee found that there was no evidence that the editorial independence of the
BBC had been compromised.
Finding: Not upheld
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