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May 15, 1997: NASA Coverup - Richard C. Hoagland
Published 2 years, 6 months ago
Description
Richard C. Hoagland returns to confront an Associated Press article by Harry Rosenthal that painted him as a fringe conspiracy theorist linked to the Heaven's Gate tragedy. Art Bell and Hoagland systematically dismantle the piece, revealing that Rosenthal specifically requested the most hostile faxes NASA could provide and refused to speak with scientist Tom Van Flandern about the actual science behind the Hale-Bopp imaging questions.
A 20-year-old listener named Lindsay Tackett delivers a bombshell account of his half-hour phone conversation with Rosenthal, in which the reporter allegedly called astronaut Edgar Mitchell a nutcase, dismissed all of Hoagland's work as worthless, and admitted he printed only the most inflammatory correspondence. Tackett describes AP colleagues laughing in the background at the mention of decorated astronauts. Hoagland draws on his own experience inside CBS News to illustrate how producers and reporters routinely manage public perception rather than pursue truth.
The episode evolves into a searing examination of journalistic integrity in America, with Art reading historical quotes from former New York Times chief John Swinton about the press being tools of wealthy interests. Listeners are urged to fax Rosenthal directly, not with vitriol, but with demands for fair reporting.
A 20-year-old listener named Lindsay Tackett delivers a bombshell account of his half-hour phone conversation with Rosenthal, in which the reporter allegedly called astronaut Edgar Mitchell a nutcase, dismissed all of Hoagland's work as worthless, and admitted he printed only the most inflammatory correspondence. Tackett describes AP colleagues laughing in the background at the mention of decorated astronauts. Hoagland draws on his own experience inside CBS News to illustrate how producers and reporters routinely manage public perception rather than pursue truth.
The episode evolves into a searing examination of journalistic integrity in America, with Art reading historical quotes from former New York Times chief John Swinton about the press being tools of wealthy interests. Listeners are urged to fax Rosenthal directly, not with vitriol, but with demands for fair reporting.