Investigative journalist Ben Swann joined John B. Wells to discuss his Truth in Media Project as well as reveal what the mainstream media is not telling U.S. citizens about numerous current events. The media not only ignores much about what is really going on in the world, it also pits Americans against each other in a Left (Democrat)/Right (Republican) paradigm, he argued. Swann criticized the current network news landscape, which he said runs the same six or seven stories and seems afraid to hold those in power accountable for fear of losing access to them. Local news programming is afflicted by a groupthink mentality that accepts what networks report on as the only newsworthy items of the day, he continued. Swann cited a recent Pew Research Center study which found that only 28% of Americans feel journalists provide any positive function in society. He further suggested that many people watch the news in order to have their own belief systems validated.
Swann detailed aspects of the drug war not covered by the media, noting how their coverage lacked conviction and was almost always slanted. There is virtually no conversation on the topic despite the present danger posed to Americans traveling into Mexico and the ever-increasing violence that has moved from border regions into U.S. cities as cartels fight for shares of a $300 billion/year retail business, he explained. The violence is not limited to drug cartels either. According to Swann, in Juarez, Mexico, thousands of out-of-work police officers have formed their own organized crime syndicate, and female homicides and rapes are widespread. He blamed U.S. policies in part for helping create the lawless situation there as well as commented on the 'Fast and Furious' gun-tracking operation. The government forced gun dealers along the border to sell guns to straw purchasers, he revealed.
Swann spoke about some of the problems in the Middle East, identifying Syria as one of the most underreported stories in American media. The terrorist group al Qaeda, operating in Syria through Al-Nusra Front, are attempting to take over the country, he disclosed. Swann pointed out that al Qaeda also flourishes in Iraq, a place where they had no foothold prior to the U.S. invasion. He remarked on the unrest in Egypt and how terrible living conditions and persecution thrived under Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Swann blasted the U.S. for constantly having its checkbook out looking for the next dictator to keep things calm. He also opined on the difference between journalists and broadcasters (news readers), likening the latter to entertainers.