← All stories
Media & Journalism

U.S. Government Ordered Networks to Censor Osama bin Laden After 9/11 Attacks

Glenn Greenwald · Melat Kiros' 9/11 Answer Is RATIONAL — Why the Attacks? · July 3, 2026
U.S. Government Ordered Networks to Censor Osama bin Laden After 9/11 Attacks
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald
Melat Kiros' 9/11 Answer Is RATIONAL — Why the Attacks?
"After 911 the US government called all the major broadcast networks ABC NBC CBS CNN and Fox at the time and instructed them not to share any interviews or any footage of interviews with Osama bin Laden. They did not want Americans hearing from Osama bin Laden."
The speaker reveals that after 9/11, the U.S. government directly instructed all major broadcast networks to never air footage or interviews with Osama bin Laden. The stated reason was fear of embedded codes to activate sleeper cells, but the speaker argues the real motive was preventing Americans from hearing bin Laden's foreign policy grievances about U.S. support for Israel, military bases in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions killing Iraqi children. All networks complied with the censorship demand.
From this episode
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald

Melat Kiros' 9/11 Answer Is RATIONAL — Why the Attacks?

August 3, 2026 · 41m · 3 Egleze moments
Read episode summary and key points →

More moments from this episode

Media & JournalismGuardian Removed Osama bin Laden Letter After 2024 TikTok Controversy Sparked Government PressurePoliticsCongressional Democrats Organized Blacklist Against Critics of Israel After October 7th Attack
More stories More from Glenn Greenwald