George W. Bush, a Republican, served as the 43rd president of the United States, for two terms, from 2001 to 2009. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush created the United States Department of Homeland Security and declared a global war on terrorism. In October 2001, Bush ordered an invasion of Afghanistan and signed into law the controversial Patriot Act in order to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. In 2003, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq based on false allegations of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. During his second term, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continued, and in 2007 he launched a surge of troops in Iraq. The Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy earned wide coverage, and his second term saw a drop in his approval ratings. A global meltdown in financial markets dominated his last days in office as policymakers looked to avert a major economic disaster.
In 2001 Alex Jones’ radio show is syndicated nationwide on approximately 100 stations. After the 9/11 attacks, Jones promotes the false conspiracy theory that the Bush administration was behind the attacks, becoming a leading figure in the “9/11 Truth Movement” conspiracy. His influence will slowly grow in the coming years and he will move onto all social media platforms. Jones’ videos will be viewed hundreds of millions of times on Facebook and YouTube in the coming years.
The September 11 attacks, often referred to as 9/11, were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Four passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists; two of the planes crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center in New York City. The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences; it is the single deadliest terrorist attack in human history. Suspicion quickly fell onto al-Qaeda, and the United States responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had failed to comply with U.S. demands to expel al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite their leader Osama bin Laden.
CNN was the first cable news channel to break news on the 9/11 terrorist attacks with anchor Carol Lin delivering the first public report. CNN starts a live broadcast about 3 minutes after the first tower is hit. CNN stays on the air for an uninterrupted 93 hours––the longest news event in history, almost doubling John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein. The invasion occurred as part of the George W. Bush administration's War on Terror, following the September 11 attacks. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government. US troops were officially withdrawn in 2011, however, due to the threat of ISIL, the the U.S. became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition; the insurgency and many dimensions of the civil armed conflict continue.
The Republican dominated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loosens media ownership regulations. Previously, the FCC had long enforced rules that prevented media from being centralized under one corporation or owner. The rule changes open the door to corporations controlling a large segment of information that reaches the public in one city or market. The rule changes also open the door to conservative businessman Rupert Murdoch buying and controlling a large number of media outlets in New York City and beyond, with profound consequences for American democracy. The headline of a New York Times Magazine story reads: MURDOCH AND HIS CHILDREN HAVE TOPPLED GOVERNMENTS ON TWO CONTINENTS AND DESTABILIZED THE MOST IMPORTANT DEMOCRACY ON EARTH. WHAT DO THEY WANT?
Youtube launched into operation, ushering the public into an era of citizen journalism.
Andrew Breitbart founds Breitbart.com. The site grows to become the most popular right wing site in America, with 17 million users in 2017. It also becomes Donald Trump’s favorite news site and he hires Steve Bannon, Breitbart’s Executive Chairman, to run his presidential campaign. Breitbart News specializes in provocation, promotes a fierce populism, and is, some say, filled with racist and xenophobic material. Steve Bannon himself says, “We’re the platform for the alt-right,” a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites.(One headline reads: "Would you rather your child had feminism or cancer?) The site also promotes material tied to the “Birther Movement.”
The “Loose Change” series of pseudo-documentaries is released, arguing that 9/11 was an inside job by the US government. Alex Jones is credited as an executive producer on the films. Jones’ claims the films eventually reach 50 million people.
Twitter is launched as a microblogging and social networking service. Messages are limited to 140 characters. Twitter will grow quickly and eventually reach 330 million users. It will also become a major source of misinformation reaching the American public as propagandists, Russian agents and extremists of the left and right use it to spread their messages. In 2020, Twitter will finally suspend 7,000 accounts linked to the conspiracy QAnon.
