Art Levine

Why do so many people believe in questionable UFO "facts," even when the evidence for them is flimsy? Art Levine, a contributing editor for U.S. News &World Report, says that the media is responsible. It is so concerned with presenting a "balanced" view that it gives the same amount of credence to both well—informed and weak perspectives. In the following article, Levine comments on the unreasonably balanced news coverage of the fiftieth anniversary of an alleged UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico.

It's a truism that journalists need to offer a balanced view of all sides when writing about a public controversy. Sometimes, though, one side of a debate consists of sheer hooey, and the press's failure to make this plain does society a disservice. A case in point is the preposterously "objective" coverage...