When a journalist thinks too far outside the box

https://outoftheboxtvderschwachsinnhatprogramm.wordpress.com/2024/10/25/wenn-ein-journalist-zu-sehr-uber-den-tellerrand-schaut-2/


What happens to a journalist who thinks outside the box? Doesn't
limit himself to the narrative set by politics and the mainstream,
but also investigates beyond it? According to "Reporters Without
Borders", in 2024 there will be 522 journalists in prison worldwide
because of their work - more than ever before. In 2023 at least 57
media workers were killed.
Although the numbers have increased, this massive approach against
journalists in Western countries is outdated. Intimidation measures
are not used so obviously, here people tend to destroy the person
in question economically or use psychological means. Not
theoretically, but using a very specific case, we would like to
show what can happen when an investigative journalist moves too far
away from the mainstream and gets too close to the truth.
- Manuel Mittas' television career

Manuel Mittas, who lives in Vienna, helped set up the private
broadcasters in Austria. His eventful career as an editor and
reporter included the TV channels “ATV”, “ProSieben/Sat.1 Austria”,
“Servus TV”, “ORF” and “ARTE”. Until 2010 he was on the editorial
team at “Puls4”. However, after he wanted to uncover alternative
topics, such as the contradictions surrounding the terrorist
attacks of 9/11, he was let go. After that he worked for a short
time as a sports presenter at “Servus-TV”. Since then he has been
keeping himself afloat with welfare. His internet community
supports him so that he can continue to carry out investigative
work.

- Kampusch and Dutroux
In a street survey in the city center of Vienna, Mittas, as a
freelance journalist, found that “two out of three respondents had
experience of child abuse in their immediate personal and family
environment”. This led him to take a closer look at Marc Dutroux’s
child abuse ring in Belgium and the Kampusch kidnapping case in
Austria.

Surprising things came to the surface.

In the Kampusch case, for example, he published an eyewitness
report after, contrary to the official version, there were two
kidnappers - instead of just one. As a result, Mittas was ambushed
in the street by four Chechens in mid-2020 and brutally beaten.
Without it being provable, however, the temporal connection
suggests that the research could be a motive for the crime. It
seems as if Mittas had stirred up a hornet's nest with the results
of his research! Investigations into pedophile cases - such as
those of Kampusch and Dutroux - often show that, contrary to the
officially held lone perpetrator theory, there is actually a whole
network behind it. Apparently, Mittas' publications on child abuse,
pedophile networks and satanic sacrifices have attracted the
attention of influential personalities.
(Witness report and documents)
On December 15, 2020, his apartment burned down completely. 3 other
apartments became uninhabitable. According to the official fire
report, a lithium battery in his laptop was responsible. However,
he received an anonymous letter claiming responsibility, which
suggested that perpetrators from Dutroux's circle of friends might
have been involved. It mentioned things about the fire that were
not officially known. He was left with nothing, everything he owned
had burned - and he had no insurance. All he had left was what he
was wearing. Thanks to the many donations from his internet
followers, he was able to get the bare necessities back.

- State arbitrariness
One would think that the state would be interested in someone in
need being supported by third parties and not having to rely on
public assistance. In this case, however, that is not the case. The
domestic secret service added up all the support given to Mittas
back to 2017 and found that the monthly allowance had been
exceeded. They did not mishear, it was the secret service and not,
as one might think, the tax office or the public prosecutor's
office. The secret service filed a complaint about the donations
and linked him to right-wing extremist crimes.
The allegations were made that had long since been dismissed by a
court because they were not proven to be true. The fact that this
is not really about the donation accusation is shown by the other
measures used to harass Mittas. His electricity was cut off for
days even though he had paid; his bank account was canceled or
letters were not delivered and sent back to the sender. Two days
before the hearing about the donations, three police officers
visited him, demanding a fine from the time of the Corona measures.
If he had not been able to pay, he would have been put in coercive
detention and his dog would have had to go to the animal shelter.
Is MittaDid he perhaps get too close to someone during his research
who now wants to use this approach to prevent him from doing
further research?

Manuel Mittas is by no means an isolated case; there are other
journalists and publicists besides him, as well as numerous people
from other professions who have experienced enormous reprisals as
part of their commitment to combating sexual and ritual violence.
Some of them even died and it is suspected that they were murdered
because of their educational work.