UFOs/aliens and the media

Hello everybody,
I just finished viewing two shows on the subject; one on the History Channel, and one on the National Geographic Channel. I must note that since these shows were on simultaneously, I did devote more time to the NGC's show.
The question I pose it this: What are your thoughts on how the media portrays UFOs/extraterrestrials?
I am curious because lately I have seen many shows on the topic being broadcast on television; and about 99% of the time I receive the feeling that they are, in a way, trying to make us think the notion of extraterrestrial life is absurd.
My reasoning behind that thought is this. Of the (self-estimated) seven to ten television shows I have recently seen, they appear to show more interviews with skeptics than others. Furthermore, sometimes it seems as if the interviews with ''believers'' have been edited in such a way as to make them seem uneducated or illogical, etc.
What solidified this point, and in effect made me write this post, is when the show I just watched on NGC ended with a statement to the effect of, ''..even with all this, could one still look to the sky for answers, when they are actually all here on the ground?''
Again, the question I ask is what are your thoughts on how the media portrays UFOs and aliens?

Spartacus out.

Sorry, but on a side note, can anyone tell me how to keep my indentations when I submit my post? Thank you.

Spartacus out.

I tried to watch both shows. I thought they were crappy as usual. Computer generated graphics and debunkers who can't even prove what they say these UFOs are either!!!!! I can't wait for someone to make a UFO show worth watching... still at least it's something which is why I waste my time watching them still

haha

I agree totally. When I saw them on the guide, I knew what I was in for, yet I sat down and devoted undivided attention to them. Maybe we at ATS should produce our own show
On a more serious note, I just find the way ''believers'' (not my term of choice, mind is just working slow) get talked down to and in general looked down upon as being pretty absurd. I just keep telling myself 'someday'..

Spartacus out

That is one thing I've always noticed myself. It does seem that "popular" culture looks at UFO's and ET's as something generally involving high doses of mind-altering chemicals--as either the cause or the solution. However, I see that there are two possible causes behind the bias.

The first one, and the one the conspiracy theorist in me loves, is that they are trying to spread disinformation of some kind. Whatever higher echelon that is controlling the media--be it only the federal government directly or some of the "cultish" groups like NWO or the Illuminati--is wanting people to feel stupid for believing in this subject so they don't want to report stuff they see. They might be getting a little scared that people might be starting to take a more overt interest in the subject, and are starting to try and persuade everyone that there is no subject to have interest in.

The second one, and the one that the realist in me loves, is that the media truly and honestly wants to run some kind of special on the topic, but they know that they'll either be harassed by the aforementioned higher echelon for exposing things in a serious manner, or they feel that they won't be taken seriously.

These guys are in it to make money, no doubt about it, and the UFO phenomena is a great eye catcher. Even a lot of people who don't believe will watch the show, if nothing else because it's entertaining. The stations and producers don't want to lose their credibility, so they sit the fence for the most part and lean towards the "it's just a good story..." idea. I mean, even as staunch as a believe as I feel I am, if there's something on the History channel that states "There are aliens" and they give the same witness accounts and bad video that's all over the place, I'm gonna laugh at them myself. Then I won't pay too much attention to a lot of the other stuff they say.

One thing that always needs to be kept in mind, in my opinion, is that there still is no hard evidence that there are ET's. There is no smoking gun. And it is essentially the same argument that religious people have for God. There is nothing to state to a non-believer that there is a God, other than the Bible (or whatever religious text you want to pick) and lots of quasi-logical arguments. There's just as many, if not more people who claim to have witnessed an act of God in some fashion or other as those who claim to have witnessed an alien craft landing in their backyard or cruising the skies. But people have believe in one God or another since time began; ET's have only been around in the public eye for the greater part of the last century.

Essentially, until there is something that can be given to the public as hard evidence, the media won't take much of a serious stand in favor of ET's. If they do they'll start appearing to be tabloid news and they won't be taken seriously whenever there is something that is true and unrelated to UFOs.