The last time a federal agency (the FBI) concluded its Flight 800 Investigation, you, the major news networks transmitted their message nationwide, unchecked and uncontested. The FBI's message came in the form of a CIA video, complete with dramatic music, professional narration, and state of the art animations.
Since that time, it has become known that this video you aired was mere propaganda for a controversial crash scenario. The flight path in the video is contradicted by FAA radar and the two key witnesses whose accounts it was alleged to portray. [ See: http://flight800.org/cia_propaganda.htm ]
CIA Deputy Director John Gannon described the "concern" that spurred production of the video: "Of particular concern to FBI investigators and CIA analysts are accounts from dozens of eyewitnesses who reported seeing an object--usually described as a "flare" or "firework"--ascend and culminate in an explosion."
But you, the major news networks, were never given the opportunity to check the validity of the video. You aired it nationally out of the trust of your government sources, only to be told later of its inaccuracies.
Boeing's press release the night it aired was your first clue to its faults: "Boeing was not involved in the production of the [CIA] video shown today, nor have we had the opportunity to obtain a copy or fully understand the data used to create it."
You were invited to an August 27, 1999 press conference where the controversial crash scenario was compared to the radar data. None of you showed up. C-Span televised the inconsistencies with the radar data nationally that day, but none of you picked up the story.
The radar data is still available. It shows Flight 800 maintaining its initial ground-speed when the CIA alleges it was climbing sharply. Consult any physicist who will explain to you that this breaks the law of "conservation of energy." Consult the two key eyewitnesses whose observations were misrepresented by the CIA.
On August 23rd, 2000, another federal agency (the NTSB) is concluding their investigation into TWA Flight 800. We would like to see you air a video that agrees with the radar data and with any key eyewitness accounts it alleges to portray. If you do not have one, we can provide one to you.
We request equal time for the truth. We anxiously await your response.
cc: PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, FOX, and Newsweek
mailed and faxed to above news sources on 8/15/00
