Stephen C. Webster
December 12th, 2009
Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has seen some stuff that will blow your mind.
Or, at least that’s the tagline to “Conspiracy Theory,” his new show on US cable station TruTV. In episode two, the one-time wrestler and movie star goes after one of America’s greatest sacred cows: the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
It is, as far as this reporter can tell, the first time a syndicated program on U.S. cable has given a serious look at arguments made by members of the 9/11 truth movement.
In the show, Ventura speaks to key 9/11 truth figures such as former BYU professor Steven Jones and William Rodriguez, a nationally-acclaimed hero credited with saving dozens as he tried to escape from the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11.
Ventura explores theories ranging from the missing black box recorders to the possibility that previously-planted explosives brought down the WTC towers.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which investigated the WTC tower collapses, maintains there was no recovered evidence of explosive materials. An electronic FAQ to the government’s theory is available online.
Almost without saying, the program leans heavily toward the conspiratorial-minded. Yet for many viewers, this may be their first exposure to such claims.
According to a TruTV press release, “Conspiracy Theory” hit the airwaves with the brunt of 1.6 million viewers, driving an 82% increase in the network’s viewership over 2008. In only its second week, “Conspiracy Theory” is TruTV’s most successful new show launch yet.
Here is the video of Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory”.