CBS46 has fired Ben Swann, the evening anchor three days after the station discovered he had tried to revive his Reality Check news reports without their knowledge.
The station’s general manager Lyle Banks released a brief press release today: “Ben Swann is no longer an employee of WGCL-TV, effective immediately. We thank Ben for his contributions and wish him well.”
His Reality Check reports over the years have often veered into alt-right conspiracy theories. His last one focused on PizzaGate, which aired on CBS46 a year ago, led to his first suspension and removal of his Truth in Media website and most of his social media platforms.
Swann recently began raising funds to bring back his Reality Check stories using cyber currency Dash. He posted a video Thursday night teasing a big announcement on Tuesday, January 30. When CBS46 found out about the video Friday morning, management suspended him.
His Reality Check operation preceded his arrival at CBS46 in 2015. Echoing right-wing conspiracy sites, he has questioned everything from the origins of ISIS to the veracity of the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings to whether Russia was actually involved in the DNC email hacks.
His Truth in Media site was connected with the Republican Liberty Caucus at one point. Before joining CBS46, he worked for Russia Today, an international television network funded by the Russian government.
He appeared in 2013 on InfoWars where he talked about Democrats wanting to take your guns and how irrelevant mainstream media is.
This relates to pizzagate because Ben Swan is the one that came under fire after airing a segment on pizzagate.
nitro169 ago
Well...Maybe Ben should have lied, obstructed, destroyed evidence, and joined a secret society to overthrow the US government. Then he could have just retired with full benefits.
Lobotomy ago
How blatant an admission of guilt that is!
birthdaysuit11 ago
PLEASE DON'T BE A GATEKEEPER like Alex Jones, Seamen, Rebel Media, Brand, Cernovich, etc.
I trust Swann though because he was the only established jounalist that brought up all the concerns we had and spoke in a concise way, in so that people who didn't know much about it could research the actual players involved.
He actually mentioned Alefantis and his instagram pictures, which no reporter or other freelance jounalist has brought up.
He seems very legit. He got th promotion to possibly further his career at the expense of truth but I think deep down inside he wanted to expose the corruption. He even had a kickstarter for the origins of ISIS documentary which just burned out. Maybe, that's why he kept posting cryptic pictures on his social media befote deleting everything.
Sharipie ago
He should start his own hook tube or yt channel.
srayzie ago
He’d sure get a lot of followers fast
Sharipie ago
Why didn't he do it as soon as they put him on ice? Maybe he just needs the 6 figure salary.
srayzie ago
He probably wants to still earn a good living. He could get hired on somewhere else. Youtube would demonetize him.
birthdaysuit11 ago
Yea, he'd make nothing on youtube and they'd make it so.
Sharipie ago
I get it. Once you've got a family and a mortgage, working for free isn't an option.
srayzie ago
Exactly
Gothamgirl ago
That is so awful.
Ronin3000 ago
Good that means he's doing something right.
dreamwarrior23 ago
I like Ben. Let him have the $2 million. Just retire before HRC decides to suicide you.
dreamdigital ago
WikiLeaks should hire him.
birthdaysuit11 ago
Wikileaks could be a limited hangout.
djklbd ago
Absolutely
srayzie ago
I know huh!
RickFlairWOOOOOO ago
Dang it! OMG now they want to say hes a russian agent too lol... oh man. Give him a news station when this is done. He has big things in his future..
madhatter67 ago
Good that some real journalists haven't been hastingsed
dreamdigital ago
Wow. Time to let him know he's the real deal.