Barrie Wallace Zwicker (born November 5, 1934) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

alternative media

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, documentary

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, and political

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

. He is best known for his documentary work, which has dealt primarily with 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Biography

Barrie Zwicker was born in White Haven,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. His family soon moved to

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, and Zwicker's earliest work in journalism was with the ''Russell Banner'', a local newspaper in Manitoba, at the age of 16. He went on to study

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. In 1967, Zwicker earned a Southam

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship allowing him to work with media analysis pioneer,

Marshall McLuhan Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his ...

at St. Michael's College. Zwicker became a staff writer at a variety of newspapers in Canada and the United States, including ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

Vancouver Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...

Sudbury Star ''The Sudbury Star'' is a Canadian daily regional newspaper published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is owned by the media company, Postmedia. It is the largest daily paper in Northeastern Ontario by circulation. History The ''Sudbury Star'' began as ...

, Detroit News'', and ''

Lansing State Journal The ''Lansing State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan, owned by Gannett. Overview The ''Lansing State Journal'' is the sole daily newspaper published in Greater Lansing. The newspaper had an average Monday through ...

''. During his seven-year tenure at ''The Globe and Mail'', he won several

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

with the Education Writers' Association of North America. Zwicker also taught the Media and Society course at

Ryerson Polytechnic University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

as a part-time professor for seven years. He worked as

Vision TV VisionTV is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that broadcasts multi-faith, multicultural, and general entertainment programming aimed at the 45 and over demographic. VisionTV is currently owned by ZoomerMedia, a company ...

media critic Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...

since the

multifaith To be multifaith is to feel an affinity with aspects of more than one religion, philosophy or world-view, or to believe that none of them is superior to the others. This term should not be confused with interfaith, which concerns the communicatio ...

network's inception in the fall of 1988, until 2003. Zwicker and Dick MacDonald edited ''The News: Inside the Canadian Media'', in which Zwicker argued that there was a "terrible sameness" in the media's coverage of many important issues, and a shutting out of other, potentially valuable, perspectives and sources of information. Zwicker took over as publisher of ''Content'' magazine founded by MacDonald in 1970. He continued his media criticism in the pages of ''Content'' and subsequently in the pages of '' Sources'', which he published from 1977 on. ''Sources'' is a directory of

contacts Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...

for editors, reporters and researchers. In 1994, he created a Canadian government directory called ''Parliamentary Names & Numbers.'' He subsequently sold these publications in 1999. In 1983 Zwicker wrote ''War, Peace, and the Media'', a 48-page

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

which argued that Canadian and American press coverage of the USSR was unbalanced, "creating a stereotype of a country that is the embodiment of everything evil, with which it is impossible to have civilized dealings or to conclude rational agreements, notably on arms control. The result of the press coverage is to push people to the conclusion that the only way to deal with the USSR is to engage in an arms race that can only result in eventual war."

Alternative viewpoints and 9/11 conspiracy works

''The End of Suburbia''

He was involved in making the video '' The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream'' on

, and earned a number of awards from local film and video festivals for his contributions.

''The Great Conspiracy: The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw''

''The Great Conspiracy: The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw'' is a 70-minute sequel to ''The Great Deception''. It premiered at The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. In this work, Zwicker contends that fear was used to control the public after 9/11, and states that the " War on Terrorism" is a public control mechanism. He also analyses the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

breakdown on 9/11 and claims that the president and his aides acted entirely inappropriately that day. Throughout, mainstream media is accused of being either compliant or complicit with a cover-up.

Other accomplishments

* In 1996, he founded a media relations newsletter and Web site calle
HotLink
* In 1991, he was awarded an honorary membership in the

Media Club of Canada The Media Club of Canada was a professional organization of Canadian journalists, active from 1904 to the early 1990s. It was originally known as the Canadian Women's Press Club (CWPC) before 1971, when it was only open to women journalists. The o ...

References

External links

Biography of Barrie Zwicker
from the Humanist Association of Toronto (Not Found)

The Great Conspiracy website

Barrie Zwicker's assertions in TGC video

9/11 Related information

CBC
interview with Michael Enright
here's the audio link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zwicker, Barrie Wallace Zwicker, Barry Canadian humanists Canadian people of German descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian socialists Zwicker, Barry Zwicker, Barry Zwicker, Barry University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni 9/11 conspiracy theorists Canadian conspiracy theorists