The 9 I 1 truth movement gained in momentum because of the involvement of credentialed academics. For those in the movement, these scholars provide the expert knowledge, the credibility, they need to fight their battle for truth in the . public sphere. Among the most important and influential is David Ray Grifin, a well-established theology professor. Not only did Grifin synthesize in a dear, systematic study many of the criticisms of the oficial account circulating on the Internet and published in European presses but his book The New Pearl Harbor was endorsed by the renowned history professor Howard Zinn and provided with a forward by Richard Falk, an emeritus professor of international law at Princeton.
The combination of Scholars for 9 I 11 Truth and the popularity of videos like Loose Change make the 9 I 1 truth movement an interesting site for thinking about problems of credibility. For some in the movement, the slickness of Loose Change is propagandistic, making the film into an instrument of disinformation instead of scientific inquiry. Writing for the 9 I 11 Research website, Victoria AshleYi in an article praising the contribution of Steven Jones, criticizes Loose Change: "Propaganda techniques, such as repeating an emotionally charged scene over and over, or approaching the unanswered questions of 9 I n in the manner of a ghost story telling, keep viewers transfixed by the presentation without any involvement of a rational evaluation of evidence:'24 The very aspects of the film that make it powerful and popular seem to some to undermine the movement's eforts toward chalenging the Bush administration's version of events.
The scholars whose work rejects the oficial story have had to defend their academic freedom and scholarly credentials. In October 2oo6, Brigham Young University announced Jones's retirement. This announcement followed a month after Jones had been relieved of his teaching responsibilities and placed on leave. Lawmakers have chalenged the academic integrity, not to mention the intelectual honesty and overall sanity, of scholars working in the area of 9 / 11 truth. During the sumer of 2006, Wisconsin legislators pressured the University of Wisconsin-Madison to fire Kevin Barrett for his view that September 11 was an inside job. The provost, Patrick Farrell, defended Barrett, although he warned Barrett that should he continue to "illustrate an inability to control" his interest in garnering publicity for his ideals, he would have less confidence in Barrett's ability to teach the course.25 The same academic credentials providing credibility to the 9 I n truth movement are being called into question and, to some extent, revoked.
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