Michael Bielawski, a native New Yorker and an independent journalist for Vermont-based True North Report, told Sputnik about his thoughts on the post-9/11 society and how it galvanized him into starting a career as an independent journalist.
Sputnik: How did 9/11 change your perspective on US politics? What began to change and how did the event reshape US foreign policy?
Michael Bielawski: I was living near NYC at the time, roughly 20 miles away, and initially responded like most Americas did with shock and anger, but also worried that the attacks would trigger a lot of war with the Middle East. 5 years later, I watched the documentary Loose Change, which exposed many misconceptions and lies about 9/11 and reshaped my views much further.
Sputnik: Can you tell us a little about your experiences while working in mainstream media? How were you instructed to report on post-9/11 news?
Michael Bielawski: Yes, I was employed with NBC a few years later in their news archives center. I got to see a lot of their uncensored 9/11 footage most Americans could not access. For example, many firefighters, survivors and witnesses were found questioning the official 9/11 narrative, talking about hearing explosions going off in the building, and many of us working there were really puzzled about building 7. Unfortunately, those videos were embedded into a computer database [before smartphones were common] and I could not take them off or sneak them out at the time without risking my job.
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On 9/11's 5-year anniversary, I wrote an article for a local newspaper called the New York Megaphone, where I interviewed a US expert on 9/11 and he opened my eyes to US politics.
Sputnik: What does your journalism focus on nowadays? How did 9/11 help boost independent journalism and why is it so important?
Michael Bielawski: It definitely ‘separated the boys from the men', meaning that truly independent media stepped up to the cause while other publications backed down and cowered. I used to write for New York-based The Indypendent, who claimed to be 100% capable of following its own editorial line and being separate from corporate media, but they wouldn't touch 9/11. I remember pitching 9/11 stories to them and getting really awkward phone calls from the editor saying that "we can't do this". He would not argue that my story was wrong, but simply said "we can't cover this".
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Michael Bielawski: It was around that time that I found the New York Megaphone, a much smaller but truly independent newspaper, and we were able to write articles much more critical of the official 9/11 narrative.
Sputnik: Every year, US citizens commemorate 9/11? What specifically do they try to remember? What lessons has it taught the world?
Michael Bielawski: I was listening to a radio host earlier today who apologized to his audience, saying "we are not going to do a moment of silence because it too difficult" and to go about as usual. I feel the same because it's frustrating that the truth on 9/11 still has not become mainstream. Even though Americans have come a long way since 2001, there are still too many people who believe the official State Department 9/11 Commission report using ragtag terrorists with box cutters.
The organization Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth has been instrumental in researching information on the WTC attacks and given many people credible testimonies from engineering experts on what happened. I also remember watching a History Channel "Modern Marvels" documentary a few weeks before 9/11 about the World Trade Center towers, where the building's engineers said that they were built to withstand the impact of a full-sized Boeing 707 jetliner. The commentator said that the buildings were built to stand and should not have fallen. You could drop the moon on those things and they wouldn't fall.
The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
