Bart Sibrel: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American conspiracy theorist}} |
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| occupation = Filmmaker, writer, conspiracy theorist |
| occupation = Filmmaker, writer, conspiracy theorist |
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'''Bart Winfield Sibrel''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|37|2002|9|11|noage=0}})<ref>{{cite news |last=Bazer |first=Mark |date=2002-09-23 |title=Web Sightings |work=[[The Lansing State Journal]] |page=S2 |quote=One of these conspiracy theorists is Bart Winfield Sibrel, and he's made a film based on video evidence he claims the Moon landing never happened.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Reich |first=Kenneth |date=2002-09-11 |title=Police Probe Astronaut's First Launch |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |page=B3 |quote=Bart Sibrel, 37, of Nashville, Tenn., says he plans to file a criminal assault complaint against the 72-year-old astronaut and will sue him for civil damages.}}</ref> is an American [[ |
'''Bart Winfield Sibrel''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|37|2002|9|11|noage=0}})<ref>{{cite news |last=Bazer |first=Mark |date=2002-09-23 |title=Web Sightings |work=[[The Lansing State Journal]] |page=S2 |quote=One of these conspiracy theorists is Bart Winfield Sibrel, and he's made a film based on video evidence he claims the Moon landing never happened.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Reich |first=Kenneth |date=2002-09-11 |title=Police Probe Astronaut's First Launch |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |page=B3 |quote=Bart Sibrel, 37, of Nashville, Tenn., says he plans to file a criminal assault complaint against the 72-year-old astronaut and will sue him for civil damages.}}</ref> is an American [[conspiracy theorist]] who has written, produced, and directed films arguing that the [[Apollo program|Apollo Moon landings]] between 1969 and 1972 were [[Moon landing conspiracy theories|staged]] by [[NASA]] under the control of the [[CIA]].<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> He has created four independent films promoting the ideas, with the first having been the film ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon]]'' (2001). |
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In his works, Sibrel films himself asking various Apollo astronauts to put their hand on the Bible and swear that they walked on the Moon. In the case of the [[Apollo 11]] astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]], whom Sibrel arranged to meet on a false pretense,<ref name="BBCstaff20020921">{{cite news |
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|date=21 September 2002 |
|date=21 September 2002 |
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|title=Ex-astronaut Escapes Assault Charge |
|title=Ex-astronaut Escapes Assault Charge |
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|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2272321.stm |
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2272321.stm |
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|access-date=July 20, 2019 |
|access-date=July 20, 2019 |
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}}</ref> outside the Luxe Hotel in Beverly Hills, the interaction resulted in Aldrin punching Sibrel, which brought him significant publicity. However, no criminal charges were filed against Aldrin. |
}}</ref> outside the Luxe Hotel in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], the interaction resulted in Aldrin punching Sibrel, which brought him significant publicity. However, no criminal charges were filed against Aldrin. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Sibrel has been a director of [[TV commercials]]<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929>{{cite news|author=Bancroft, Colette | date=September 29, 2002 | newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/29/Floridian/Lunar_lunacy.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917114247/http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/29/Floridian/Lunar_lunacy.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 17, 2012 |title=Lunar lunacy | access-date=July 20, 2019 }}</ref> and is sometimes identified as a maker of "documentaries" |
Sibrel has been a director of [[TV commercials]]<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929>{{cite news|author=Bancroft, Colette | date=September 29, 2002 | newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/29/Floridian/Lunar_lunacy.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917114247/http://www.sptimes.com/2002/09/29/Floridian/Lunar_lunacy.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 17, 2012 |title=Lunar lunacy | access-date=July 20, 2019 }}</ref> and is sometimes identified as a maker of "documentaries" with respect to his self-released Moon landing denial films,<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719>{{cite journal | author = Spitznagel, Eric | date = July 19, 2019 | title = Don't Stop Denying | journal = [[Popular Mechanics]] | url = https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a28434260/moon-landing-hoax-conspiracists/ | access-date = July 20, 2019 }}</ref> though other sources point out the [[self-publishing|personal distribution]], limited release, and style and content call into question placing Sibrel's work in this genre of filmmaking (e.g., with the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'' placing the word documentary in quotation marks in some of their reports).<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/><ref name=nythess>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/science/moon-landing-hoax-conspiracy-theory.html|title=They Kinda Want to Believe Apollo 11 Was Maybe a Hoax|last=Hess|first=Amanda|date=July 1, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 19, 2019}}</ref> This concern relates in part to Sibrel's record of misrepresenting his identity to the subjects he attempts to interview, notably repeated attempts involving former astronauts including [[Buzz Aldrin]], [[Neil Armstrong]], [[Alan Bean]], [[Eugene Cernan]], and [[Edgar Mitchell]] (where Sibrel posed as filmmaker associated with the [[History Channel]]).<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/><ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/><ref name=BBCstaff20020921 /> |
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As of 2002, Sibrel was operating a video production company in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], and had "made a career out of perpetuating the notion that NASA's Apollo moon missions were hoaxes."<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/>{{update after|2019|7|20}} |
As of 2002, Sibrel was operating a video production company in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], and had "made a career out of perpetuating the notion that NASA's Apollo moon missions were hoaxes."<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/>{{update after|2019|7|20}} |
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Sibrel's single most notable work is a 47-minute video work likewise calling into question the historicity of the [[List of Apollo missions|Apollo Moon missions]]; entitled ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon'', Sibrel describes the Apollo program as a "Cold War [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]] deception."<ref name=nythess /> Amanda Hess, writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'' alludes to the work as a [[pseudo-documentary]],<ref> For instance, she places the word documentary in quotation marks, and does the same with reference to the "evidence" that Sibrel presents in the work, and refers to Sibrel's preparative work as a "quasi-investigation".</ref> and describes the work in this way: "It mashed up moon footage with ominous shots from the Soviet Union and Vietnam, was narrated by a severe British woman and was sold on a [personal] website called MoonMovie.com."<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/><ref name=nythess /> Sibrel confronted several [[List of Apollo astronauts|Apollo astronauts]] in the preparation of his videos,<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> all of whom responded indifferently or negatively when they realized that they were being challenged on their achievement of landing and walking on the Moon.<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> |
Sibrel's single most notable work is a 47-minute video work likewise calling into question the historicity of the [[List of Apollo missions|Apollo Moon missions]]; entitled ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon'', Sibrel describes the Apollo program as a "Cold War [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] and [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]] deception."<ref name=nythess /> Amanda Hess, writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', alludes to the work as a [[pseudo-documentary]],<ref> For instance, she places the word documentary in quotation marks, and does the same with reference to the "evidence" that Sibrel presents in the work, and refers to Sibrel's preparative work as a "quasi-investigation".</ref> and describes the work in this way: "It mashed up moon footage with ominous shots from the Soviet Union and Vietnam, was narrated by a severe British woman and was sold on a [personal] website called MoonMovie.com."<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/><ref name=nythess /> Sibrel confronted several [[List of Apollo astronauts|Apollo astronauts]] in the preparation of his videos,<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> all of whom responded indifferently or negatively when they realized that they were being challenged on their achievement of landing and walking on the Moon.<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> |
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During 2019, the Bart Sibrel [[YouTube]] channel was demonetized.<ref>https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-explained-861205/ |
During 2019, the Bart Sibrel [[YouTube]] channel was demonetized.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dickson |first=Ej |date=2019-07-19 |title=A Brief History of Conspiracy Theories About the Moon Landing |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-explained-861205/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240119023008/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-explained-861205/ |archive-date= Jan 19, 2024 }}</ref> |
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===Moon landing denial=== |
===Moon landing denial=== |
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{{main|Moon landing conspiracy theories#Hoax claims and rebuttals}} |
{{main|Moon landing conspiracy theories#Hoax claims and rebuttals}} |
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In a July 2019 [[HBO]] interview,<ref>https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kxpxd/buzz-aldrin-punched-this-guy-in-the-face-for-saying-the-moon-landing-was-fake Vice article |
In a July 2019 [[HBO]] interview,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pahl |first=Caroline |date=2019-07-20 |title=Buzz Aldrin Punched This Guy in the Face for Saying the Moon Landing Was Fake |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kxpxd/buzz-aldrin-punched-this-guy-in-the-face-for-saying-the-moon-landing-was-fake |website=Vice |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623053545/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kxpxd/buzz-aldrin-punched-this-guy-in-the-face-for-saying-the-moon-landing-was-fake |archive-date= Jun 23, 2020 }}</ref> Sibrel stated the following main reasons that he believed the Apollo missions were a fake: |
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* Apollo's achievement with its 50-year-old technology cannot be reproduced in 2019 by any nation in the world, including the United States (only now is modern technology capable of faking the Moon landings).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/was-the-moon-landing-faked-conspiracy-theories-debunked-gq3zh8dt3 |title=Was the moon landing faked? Conspiracy theories debunked |last=Whipple |first=Tom |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=2019-07-15 |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en |issn=0140-0460|quote= |
* Apollo's achievement with its 50-year-old technology cannot be reproduced in 2019 by any nation in the world, including the United States (only now is modern technology capable of faking the Moon landings).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/was-the-moon-landing-faked-conspiracy-theories-debunked-gq3zh8dt3 |url-access=subscription |title=Was the moon landing faked? Conspiracy theories debunked |last=Whipple |first=Tom |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=2019-07-15 |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en |issn=0140-0460|quote=Pulling off the hoax would be harder than pulling off the reality. Footage from the moon shows astronauts bounding in low gravity, and dust kicked up then moving as if in a vacuum. On Apollo 15 an astronaut memorably dropped a feather and hammer together. They hit the ground at the same time, as Galileo predicted they would without atmosphere. They also moved slower than they would have in Earth's gravity. If the landings really were hoaxed, they were a technological achievement more impressive than going to the Moon. Ironically, only today do we have the CGI technology to make such a convincing spoof. |url-status=live |archive-url= https://archive.today/20200224154641/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/was-the-moon-landing-faked-conspiracy-theories-debunked-gq3zh8dt3 |archive-date= 24 Feb 2020 }}</ref> |
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* The shadows appearing in one of the [[Apollo 11]] photographs are not parallel, and therefore must have been taken in a studio with multiple light sources (in fact this is consistent with reflection from the [[Geology of the Moon|lunar surface]] and inconsistent with the existence of only one shadow per object).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2009/jun/29/apollo-11-moon-landing-hoax |title=In Pictures: Top 10 Apollo hoax claims |date=2009-07-02 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> |
* The shadows appearing in one of the [[Apollo 11]] photographs are not parallel, and therefore must have been taken in a studio with multiple light sources (in fact this is consistent with reflection from the [[Geology of the Moon|lunar surface]] and inconsistent with the existence of only one shadow per object).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/gallery/2009/jun/29/apollo-11-moon-landing-hoax |title=In Pictures: Top 10 Apollo hoax claims |date=2009-07-02 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> |
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* The [[Van Allen radiation belt]] that exists around the Earth does not allow humans to pass through it due to its extreme radiation (the Apollo 11 crew were within the belts for under two hours so would have been exposed to an estimated 18 [[Rad (unit)|rads]] – well within safe limits).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48774080 |title=Moon landing conspiracy theories aren't true – here's how we know |publisher=CBBC Newsround |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="spacecentre">{{Cite web |url=https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/know-moon-landing-really-happened/ |title=How Do We Know The Moon Landing Really Happened? |website=The National Space Centre |language=en-us |access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> |
* The [[Van Allen radiation belt]] that exists around the Earth does not allow humans to pass through it due to its extreme radiation (the Apollo 11 crew were within the belts for under two hours so would have been exposed to an estimated 18 [[Rad (unit)|rads]] – well within safe limits).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48774080 |title=Moon landing conspiracy theories aren't true – here's how we know |publisher=CBBC Newsround |access-date=2019-12-03 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="spacecentre">{{Cite web |url=https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/know-moon-landing-really-happened/ |title=How Do We Know The Moon Landing Really Happened? |website=The National Space Centre |language=en-us |access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> |
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==Aldrin incident== |
==Aldrin incident== |
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One confrontational incident involved [[Apollo 11]] crew member [[Buzz Aldrin]]. Earlier, Sibrel had interviewed Aldrin in a hotel room for his film ''[[Astronauts Gone Wild]]''. In that interview, Sibrel confronted Aldrin with purported newly discovered footage from the Apollo 11 mission, to which Aldrin replied |
One confrontational incident involved [[Apollo 11]] crew member [[Buzz Aldrin]]. Earlier, Sibrel had interviewed Aldrin in a hotel room for his film ''[[Astronauts Gone Wild]]''. In that interview, Sibrel confronted Aldrin with purported newly discovered footage from the Apollo 11 mission, to which Aldrin replied: "Well, you're talking to the wrong guy! Why don't you talk to the administrator at NASA? We were passengers, we're guys going on a flight."<ref name = AstronautsGoneWild>{{cite AV media |people=Sibrel, Bart Winfield (Director, Producer) |title=Astronauts Gone Wild: An Investigation Into the Authenticity of the Moon Landings | date=2004 |medium=DVD |publisher=AFTH, LLC |oclc=70182896 |time=8:30 }}</ref><!--<ref>Shown at the 8:30 mark in the video.</ref>--><!--This needs reporting by a secondary source, rather than WP:OR from primary sources. Also, stating the timestamp is not proper presentation and formatting for an audiovisual source, which has a time field in the template.--> Sibrel refers, in ''post hoc'' interviews, to two confrontations with Aldrin prior to the one that resulted in his being punched.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> |
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Regarding the subsequent interaction, occurring on September 9, 2002,<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> witnesses came forward to the police with jurisdiction, the Beverly Hills Police Department, stating |
Regarding the subsequent interaction, occurring on September 9, 2002,<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> the BBC reported that witnesses came forward to the police with jurisdiction, the Beverly Hills Police Department, stating: "Mr Sibrel...lured Mr Aldrin to the hotel under false pretences in order to interview him."<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> By Aldrin's account, he went to the [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] hotel on that date under the pretext of an interview on space for a Japanese children's television show.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> At the time, Aldrin was aged 72 and Sibrel was aged 37.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> |
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Sibrel attempted on-camera to coerce Aldrin to [[Swear on the bible|swear an oath on a Bible]] that he had been on the Moon.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> Witnesses came forward to the police indicating that "Sibrel had aggressively poked Mr Aldrin with the Bible".<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> When Aldrin refused Sibrel's request, Sibrel followed him, saying: "You're the one who said you walked on the Moon when you didn't |
Sibrel attempted on-camera to coerce Aldrin to [[Swear on the bible|swear an oath on a Bible]] that he had been on the Moon.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> Witnesses came forward to the police indicating that "Sibrel had aggressively poked Mr Aldrin with the Bible".<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> When Aldrin refused Sibrel's request, Sibrel followed him, saying: "You're the one who said you walked on the Moon when you didn't."<ref name=AstronautsGoneWild/> The BBC reported that "Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Ratinoff told [[Reuters]]... [the] videotape shot by a cameraman hired by Mr Sibrel had shown the film-maker follow Mr Aldrin, calling him a 'thief, liar and coward'."<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> Still being recorded by Sibrel's camera crew, Aldrin responded with "Will you get away from me?" and then punched Sibrel in the jaw.<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/><ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> |
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On the day following the altercation, a statement from a lawyer for Aldrin described the "6-foot-2, 250-pound ''[1.88 m, 113 kg]'' Sibrel forc[ing] Aldrin up against a wall and refus[ing] to let him leave", thus making the case for self-defense.<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> Aldrin made the case to police that he had been attempting to defend "himself and his stepdaughter, who was with him at the time".<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> |
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⚫ | Sibrel gave the tape to the police,<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> apparently alleging assault. The incident received significant publicity, with many television talk shows airing the clip, usually supporting Aldrin's action. Shortly after the altercation, Sibrel told the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'' |
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⚫ | Sibrel gave the tape to the police,<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/> apparently alleging assault. The incident received significant publicity, with many television talk shows airing the clip, usually supporting Aldrin's action. Shortly after the altercation, Sibrel told the ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'': "[Aldrin] has a good punch. It was quick, too. I didn't see it coming."<ref name=StPeteTimesbancroft20020929/> |
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⚫ | As described by Eric Spitznagel for ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', since "witnesses testified that Sibrel had [[Provocation (legal)|provoked]] [Aldrin], assault charges against the former astronaut were dropped |
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⚫ | As described by Eric Spitznagel for ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', since "witnesses testified that Sibrel had [[Provocation (legal)|provoked]] [Aldrin], assault charges against the former astronaut were dropped".<ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> Police either did not file or dropped charges based on Aldrin's lack of a prior criminal record, witness accounts of Sibrel's having drawn Aldrin to the hotel under false pretenses, Sibrel's aggressiveness before the punch, and his having declined to seek medical attention and sustaining "no visible injury".<ref name=BBCstaff20020921/><ref name = PopMechspitznagel20190719/> |
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==Conviction for vandalism in parking dispute== |
==Conviction for vandalism in parking dispute== |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* |
* {{annotated link|Bill Kaysing}} |
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* [[Ralph Rene]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==Further reading and viewing== |
==Further reading and viewing== |
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* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/science/11WIRE-SPACE.html |title=Moon Hoax Spurs Crusade Against Bad Astronomy |work=[[The New York Times]] |agency=Reuters |date=January 11, 2001 |access-date=January 30, 2015}} |
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/11/science/11WIRE-SPACE.html |title=Moon Hoax Spurs Crusade Against Bad Astronomy |work=[[The New York Times]] |agency=Reuters |date=January 11, 2001 |access-date=January 30, 2015}} |
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* {{cite web |url=http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html | author = Plait, Phil | title=Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax |date=February 13, 2001 |access-date=July 20, 2019 |publisher=BadAstronomy.com}} A thorough rebuttal of the 2001 re-airing of the Fox TV program, |
* {{cite web |url=http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html | author = Plait, Phil | title=Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax |date=February 13, 2001 |access-date=July 20, 2019 |publisher=BadAstronomy.com}} [A thorough rebuttal of the 2001 re-airing of the Fox TV program, ''Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?''.] |
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* {{cite web |url=http://theweek.com/article/index/265042/speedreads-watch-a-72-year-old-buzz-aldrin-punch-a-jerk-in-the-face-for-calling-him-a-liar |title=Buzz Aldrin Punches a Jerk in the Face for Calling Him a Liar |date=July 21, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2014 |publisher=The Week}} |
* {{cite web |url=http://theweek.com/article/index/265042/speedreads-watch-a-72-year-old-buzz-aldrin-punch-a-jerk-in-the-face-for-calling-him-a-liar |title=Buzz Aldrin Punches a Jerk in the Face for Calling Him a Liar |date=July 21, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2014 |publisher=The Week}} |
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* {{cite web |url=http://www.csicop.org/news/show/buzz_aldrin_punches_moon-landing_conspiracy_theorist |title=Buzz Aldrin Punches Moon-landing Conspiracy Theorist |date=October 16, 2002 |website=[[The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] |access-date=May 29, 2013}} |
* {{cite web |url=http://www.csicop.org/news/show/buzz_aldrin_punches_moon-landing_conspiracy_theorist |title=Buzz Aldrin Punches Moon-landing Conspiracy Theorist |date=October 16, 2002 |website=[[The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry]] |access-date=May 29, 2013}} |
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* {{cite podcast |url=http://binnallofamerica.com/boaa11.25.6.html | host = Tim Binall | title = BoA: Audio, Season Two: Bart Sibrel |website=Binall of America |date=November 25, 2006 |access-date=May 29, 2013}} [Audio blog featuring the title subject.] |
* {{cite podcast |url=http://binnallofamerica.com/boaa11.25.6.html | host = Tim Binall | title = BoA: Audio, Season Two: Bart Sibrel |website=Binall of America |date=November 25, 2006 |access-date=May 29, 2013}} [Audio blog featuring the title subject.] |
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* {{cite AV media |author=McKeegan, Dave |date=May 29, 2024 |title=Exposing the lies of Bart Sibrel |type=video |language=English |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=03x2MC3wv5Q |access-date=June 9, 2024 |publisher=YouTube }} [A thorough rebuttal of Bart Sibrel's claims about the moonlanding, part of his three hour-long appearance in ''[[The Joe Rogan Experience]]'' (April 25, 2024), which is linked in the video's description.] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{Official website|www.sibrel.com}} |
* {{Official website|www.sibrel.com}} |
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* {{Armstrong Refuses To Swear On The Bible He walked On The Moon|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psa7EMFrNsY}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibrel, Bart}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibrel, Bart}} |
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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:1960s births]] |
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[[Category:Moon landing conspiracy theorists]] |
[[Category:Moon landing conspiracy theorists]] |
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[[Category:American conspiracy theorists]] |
[[Category:American conspiracy theorists]] |
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[[Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee]] |
[[Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee]] |
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[[Category:American documentary filmmakers]] |
[[Category:American documentary filmmakers]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
Latest revision as of 23:23, 19 October 2024
Bart Sibrel | |
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Born | 1964 or 1965 (age 59–60) |
Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, writer, conspiracy theorist |
Years active | 1985–present |
Bart Winfield Sibrel (born 1964 or 1965 (age 59–60))[1][2] is an American conspiracy theorist who has written, produced, and directed films arguing that the Apollo Moon landings between 1969 and 1972 were staged by NASA under the control of the CIA.[3] He has created four independent films promoting the ideas, with the first having been the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon (2001).
In his works, Sibrel films himself asking various Apollo astronauts to put their hand on the Bible and swear that they walked on the Moon. In the case of the Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, whom Sibrel arranged to meet on a false pretense,[4] outside the Luxe Hotel in Beverly Hills, the interaction resulted in Aldrin punching Sibrel, which brought him significant publicity. However, no criminal charges were filed against Aldrin.
Background
Sibrel has been a director of TV commercials[5] and is sometimes identified as a maker of "documentaries" with respect to his self-released Moon landing denial films,[3] though other sources point out the personal distribution, limited release, and style and content call into question placing Sibrel's work in this genre of filmmaking (e.g., with the St. Petersburg Times and The New York Times placing the word documentary in quotation marks in some of their reports).[5][6] This concern relates in part to Sibrel's record of misrepresenting his identity to the subjects he attempts to interview, notably repeated attempts involving former astronauts including Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Alan Bean, Eugene Cernan, and Edgar Mitchell (where Sibrel posed as filmmaker associated with the History Channel).[5][3][4]
As of 2002, Sibrel was operating a video production company in Nashville, Tennessee, and had "made a career out of perpetuating the notion that NASA's Apollo moon missions were hoaxes."[5][needs update]
Sibrel's single most notable work is a 47-minute video work likewise calling into question the historicity of the Apollo Moon missions; entitled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon, Sibrel describes the Apollo program as a "Cold War CIA and Nixon administration deception."[6] Amanda Hess, writing for The New York Times, alludes to the work as a pseudo-documentary,[7] and describes the work in this way: "It mashed up moon footage with ominous shots from the Soviet Union and Vietnam, was narrated by a severe British woman and was sold on a [personal] website called MoonMovie.com."[5][6] Sibrel confronted several Apollo astronauts in the preparation of his videos,[3] all of whom responded indifferently or negatively when they realized that they were being challenged on their achievement of landing and walking on the Moon.[3]
During 2019, the Bart Sibrel YouTube channel was demonetized.[8]
Moon landing denial
In a July 2019 HBO interview,[9] Sibrel stated the following main reasons that he believed the Apollo missions were a fake:
- Apollo's achievement with its 50-year-old technology cannot be reproduced in 2019 by any nation in the world, including the United States (only now is modern technology capable of faking the Moon landings).[10]
- The shadows appearing in one of the Apollo 11 photographs are not parallel, and therefore must have been taken in a studio with multiple light sources (in fact this is consistent with reflection from the lunar surface and inconsistent with the existence of only one shadow per object).[11]
- The Van Allen radiation belt that exists around the Earth does not allow humans to pass through it due to its extreme radiation (the Apollo 11 crew were within the belts for under two hours so would have been exposed to an estimated 18 rads – well within safe limits).[12][13]
All the common Moon landing denial theories, including Sibrel's and others, have been repeatedly debunked.[3]
Aldrin incident
One confrontational incident involved Apollo 11 crew member Buzz Aldrin. Earlier, Sibrel had interviewed Aldrin in a hotel room for his film Astronauts Gone Wild. In that interview, Sibrel confronted Aldrin with purported newly discovered footage from the Apollo 11 mission, to which Aldrin replied: "Well, you're talking to the wrong guy! Why don't you talk to the administrator at NASA? We were passengers, we're guys going on a flight."[14] Sibrel refers, in post hoc interviews, to two confrontations with Aldrin prior to the one that resulted in his being punched.[5]
Regarding the subsequent interaction, occurring on September 9, 2002,[5] the BBC reported that witnesses came forward to the police with jurisdiction, the Beverly Hills Police Department, stating: "Mr Sibrel...lured Mr Aldrin to the hotel under false pretences in order to interview him."[4] By Aldrin's account, he went to the Beverly Hills hotel on that date under the pretext of an interview on space for a Japanese children's television show.[5] At the time, Aldrin was aged 72 and Sibrel was aged 37.[5]
Sibrel attempted on-camera to coerce Aldrin to swear an oath on a Bible that he had been on the Moon.[5] Witnesses came forward to the police indicating that "Sibrel had aggressively poked Mr Aldrin with the Bible".[4] When Aldrin refused Sibrel's request, Sibrel followed him, saying: "You're the one who said you walked on the Moon when you didn't."[14] The BBC reported that "Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Ratinoff told Reuters... [the] videotape shot by a cameraman hired by Mr Sibrel had shown the film-maker follow Mr Aldrin, calling him a 'thief, liar and coward'."[4] Still being recorded by Sibrel's camera crew, Aldrin responded with "Will you get away from me?" and then punched Sibrel in the jaw.[4][5]
On the day following the altercation, a statement from a lawyer for Aldrin described the "6-foot-2, 250-pound [1.88 m, 113 kg] Sibrel forc[ing] Aldrin up against a wall and refus[ing] to let him leave", thus making the case for self-defense.[5] Aldrin made the case to police that he had been attempting to defend "himself and his stepdaughter, who was with him at the time".[4]
Sibrel gave the tape to the police,[4] apparently alleging assault. The incident received significant publicity, with many television talk shows airing the clip, usually supporting Aldrin's action. Shortly after the altercation, Sibrel told the St. Petersburg Times: "[Aldrin] has a good punch. It was quick, too. I didn't see it coming."[5]
As described by Eric Spitznagel for Popular Mechanics, since "witnesses testified that Sibrel had provoked [Aldrin], assault charges against the former astronaut were dropped".[3] Police either did not file or dropped charges based on Aldrin's lack of a prior criminal record, witness accounts of Sibrel's having drawn Aldrin to the hotel under false pretenses, Sibrel's aggressiveness before the punch, and his having declined to seek medical attention and sustaining "no visible injury".[4][3]
Conviction for vandalism in parking dispute
In July 2009, Sibrel, who at the time was working as a Nashville taxicab driver, was charged with vandalism when he jumped up and down on the hood of a car owned by a woman with whom he was having a parking dispute. Court documents show he was arrested after the driver refused to pull out of a parking space he wanted. The arresting officer wrote, "A few moments later the parking space in front of the victim opened up and Sibrel drove into it and parked." Sibrel "then walked up to the victim's car and jumped onto the hood, and then jumped up and down several times." The report says he caused $1,431 worth of damage, after which Sibrel pleaded guilty to vandalism and was placed on probation.[15]
Filmography
Regarding the Apollo program
Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Run time (minutes) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon | Yes | Yes | Yes | 47 |
2004 | Astronauts Gone Wild: An Investigation Into the Authenticity of the Moon Landings | Yes | Yes | 53 | |
Apollo 11 Monkey Business: False Photography Unedited | Yes | 108 | |||
Apollo 11 Post-Flight Press Conference | Yes | 83 |
See also
- Bill Kaysing – Writer and conspiracy theorist
References
- ^ Bazer, Mark (September 23, 2002). "Web Sightings". The Lansing State Journal. p. S2.
One of these conspiracy theorists is Bart Winfield Sibrel, and he's made a film based on video evidence he claims the Moon landing never happened.
- ^ Reich, Kenneth (September 11, 2002). "Police Probe Astronaut's First Launch". The Los Angeles Times. p. B3.
Bart Sibrel, 37, of Nashville, Tenn., says he plans to file a criminal assault complaint against the 72-year-old astronaut and will sue him for civil damages.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Spitznagel, Eric (July 19, 2019). "Don't Stop Denying". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ex-astronaut Escapes Assault Charge". BBC News Online. September 21, 2002. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bancroft, Colette (September 29, 2002). "Lunar lunacy". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hess, Amanda (July 1, 2019). "They Kinda Want to Believe Apollo 11 Was Maybe a Hoax". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ For instance, she places the word documentary in quotation marks, and does the same with reference to the "evidence" that Sibrel presents in the work, and refers to Sibrel's preparative work as a "quasi-investigation".
- ^ Dickson, Ej (July 19, 2019). "A Brief History of Conspiracy Theories About the Moon Landing". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024.
- ^ Pahl, Caroline (July 20, 2019). "Buzz Aldrin Punched This Guy in the Face for Saying the Moon Landing Was Fake". Vice. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020.
- ^ Whipple, Tom (July 15, 2019). "Was the moon landing faked? Conspiracy theories debunked". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
Pulling off the hoax would be harder than pulling off the reality. Footage from the moon shows astronauts bounding in low gravity, and dust kicked up then moving as if in a vacuum. On Apollo 15 an astronaut memorably dropped a feather and hammer together. They hit the ground at the same time, as Galileo predicted they would without atmosphere. They also moved slower than they would have in Earth's gravity. If the landings really were hoaxed, they were a technological achievement more impressive than going to the Moon. Ironically, only today do we have the CGI technology to make such a convincing spoof.
- ^ "In Pictures: Top 10 Apollo hoax claims". The Guardian. July 2, 2009. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Moon landing conspiracy theories aren't true – here's how we know". CBBC Newsround. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "How Do We Know The Moon Landing Really Happened?". The National Space Centre. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Sibrel, Bart Winfield (Director, Producer) (2004). Astronauts Gone Wild: An Investigation Into the Authenticity of the Moon Landings (DVD). AFTH, LLC. Event occurs at 8:30. OCLC 70182896.
- ^ Williams, Phil (July 7, 2009). "Inside Story: Apollo Conspiracy Theorist Arrested After Tirade". NewsChannel 5. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
Further reading and viewing
- "Moon Hoax Spurs Crusade Against Bad Astronomy". The New York Times. Reuters. January 11, 2001. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- Plait, Phil (February 13, 2001). "Fox TV and the Apollo Moon Hoax". BadAstronomy.com. Retrieved July 20, 2019. [A thorough rebuttal of the 2001 re-airing of the Fox TV program, Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?.]
- "Buzz Aldrin Punches a Jerk in the Face for Calling Him a Liar". The Week. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- "Buzz Aldrin Punches Moon-landing Conspiracy Theorist". The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. October 16, 2002. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- Tim Binall (November 25, 2006). "BoA: Audio, Season Two: Bart Sibrel". Binall of America (Podcast). Retrieved May 29, 2013. [Audio blog featuring the title subject.]
- McKeegan, Dave (May 29, 2024). Exposing the lies of Bart Sibrel (video). YouTube. Retrieved June 9, 2024. [A thorough rebuttal of Bart Sibrel's claims about the moonlanding, part of his three hour-long appearance in The Joe Rogan Experience (April 25, 2024), which is linked in the video's description.]