Hold the Phones…Richard Gage WAS NOT Detained by NIST

July 20, 2009 Cheri M. Roberts – Producer, Unspun Newz

First thing Monday morning, 9/11 truth activist group We Are Change released a developing story regarding the possible detention of Richard Gage, AIA - founder of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

UnSpun immediately made contact with Richard Gage, additional members of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth as well as NIST itself to clarify and or confirm the details of this incident.

NIST’s Press Officer, Michael Newman was kind enough to comment stating Richard Gage, AIA arrived at NIST’s Visitor Center where he was refused access to the building by guards due to his lack of an appointment. Gage arrived with a CD and letter for Dr. Shyam Sunder which he left with the guards at the front gate under their assurance said material would be delivered to Dr. Sunder as requested by Gage.

By 11:30am pacific time NIST’s Press Officer for Public Affairs, Michael Newman confirmed for UnSpun Newz that Richard Gage’s material had in fact been delivered directly to Dr. Sunder as promised.

We are Change member Ben Schnitger from Virginia was along and filming and initially broke this developing story on the We Are Change website. It was immediately reposted on multiple social networks across the world. UnSpun Newz would like to make the record clear as to what actually occurred.

According to their Press Officer, NIST guards initially confiscated Mr Schnitger’s footage, but it was later returned to him by NIST who according to Michael Newman there was no unlawful activity taking place.

The REAL story here...

...is we now know that Dr. Sham Sunder has Gage's letter and video on his desk.

But whoever posted that item at WeAreChange certainly didn't have their facts straight. I think it might even have been one person's deliberate ploy to attract attention to the story based on a bit of exaggeration-based sensationalism.

Because after all, what really DID happen isn't quite as sexy, true that?

Gotta be accurate folks when

Gotta be accurate folks when reporting this kind of stuff. Credibility must be front and center when reporting events like this.

And I promise to not forget

And I promise to not forget your name any more! ;-)

UnSpun newz is commited to

UnSpun newz is commited to sourcing and vetting before spreading what passes for "news". The last thing the 9/11 Truth movement needs is more fractioning due to mistakes.

There's got to be room

for an explanation from the author of the original report. What actually occurred could have been sanitized by NIST. Unspun's conversation with NIST is spelled out, but not that with Gage et. al. It's pretty serious if NIST confiscated video footage. Is that not trampling on freedom of the press?

Yes we do need to speak with...

The activist who had his tape taken. According to the NIST spokesman the tape was returned but we have not yet spoken to the activist himself so there may be further development to that part of the story. We would like to get in touch with Ben and get his account on the record. We do take the issue about the tape seriously and would like to clear it up for the record. If anyone can get us in touch with Ben please help us to do so because we DO NOT want to take NIST's word for it about what actually happened without consulting Ben.

More possibly to come on the tape issue ...

Richard Gage left us a detailed voice message stating very clearly that he was not detained but did not comment on the tape issue.

Thanks for drawing the tape siezure issue into clear focus because you are quite right that until we speak with Ben we cannot put that issue to rest.

I wonder why

We Are Change made this up/grossly exaggerated it. If that's true, then I'm disappointed. Could be a case of the rumor mill.

...

Sounds Jonesian.

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“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
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