Ben Swann

Benjamin Swann (born July 17, 1978) is an American television news anchor, investigative journalist, and political commentator. He became a TV sports producer, and later a news journalist and producer, and managing editor on network affiliates, FOX, and RT America of the Russian state-owned TV network RT. He received a National Edward R. Murrow Award in 2002. Swann created a news segment called Reality Check in association with Fox 19 in Cincinnati and CBS46 in Atlanta, in which he covered "issues other media is not looking at" and uncritically presented alt-right conspiracy theories. He garnered praise for a 2012 in-person interview with President Barack Obama about the so-called "kill list" which is used to direct drone strikes against American citizens, like Anwar al-Awlaki. In a manner reminiscent of right-wing conspiracy websites, Swann reported on conspiracy theories about the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, questioned the truth of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, presented 9/11 conspiracy theories, and the false claims of a cover-up by the CDC of data related to the MMR vaccine and autism. He has also questioned the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War, whether United States had a role in the development of ISIL, and other controversial topics. In 2017, after his employer, CBS affiliate 46 in Atlanta, aired a Reality Check which presented the false Pizzagate conspiracy theory as potentially true, Swann was forced by WGCL to bring down his Truth in Media website and all of his social media. About a year later, he was fired when WGCL learned that Swann was planning to relaunch Truth in Media.