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Newsnight attacked for Russell Brand interview on 9/11 theory

The BBC’s flagship programme Newsnight has been accused of cynically chasing ratings after broadcasting a long-winded interview with Russell Brand in which the comedian said that al-Qaeda may not have been responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

In a week when Sajid Javid, the culture secretary, said that the programme was no longer considered compelling viewing, Newsnight raised eyebrows by giving Brand 15 minutes to promote his new anti-establishment book, Revolution. Questioned by Evan Davis, the presenter, about his views on 9/11, Brand said that he was “open-minded” about the possibility that the US government was involved in the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001.

“Do you trust the American government? Do you trust the British government?” Brand asked. “What I do think