If something is strange but might be consequential, surely it makes journalistic sense to investigate it?
I say that in light of Keith Kloor's new Wired article, "Will the New York Times ever stop reporting on UFOs?" Kloor suggests that New York Times coverage of Navy sightings of UFOs is unworthy of a paper of record. This, predictably, has Kloor attracting both celebration and outrage on Twitter.
I have a few thoughts.
First, while I strongly disagree with Kloor's overall thesis (more on that in a moment), I understand where it comes from. The evidence of UFO encounters involving the military is longstanding, but documentation is far from ideal. Part of the problem here is the government's penchant for secrecy on the issue. Another challenge is the split between serious and silly investigation of this issue. Tom DeLonge encapsulates this dynamic on both fronts. The musician and founder of UFO research group To The Stars Academy deserves great credit for advancing public attention on the UFO issue. But DeLonge also, on occasion, says things that the data simply cannot support.
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