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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social

two great stories today — one in WSJ on UFOs, one in NYT on a social media influencer — appear to have little in common But they both speak to a shared truth: the broad desire to believe in conspiracies, and the self-interested motives of those who fan them

The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America's UFO Mythology U.S. military fabricated evidence of alien technology and allowed rumors to fester to cover up real secret-weapons programs By Joel Schectman and Aruna Viswanatha June 6, 2025 9:00 pm ET| Listen to article (16 minutes) tiny Pentagon office had spent months A investigating conspiracy theories about secret Washington UFO programs when it uncovered a shocking truth: At least one of those theories had been fueled by the Pentagon itself. The congressionally ordered probe took investigators back to the 1980s, when an Air Force colonel visited a bar near Area 51, a top-secret site in the Nevada desert. He gave the owner photos of what might be flying saucers. The photos went up on the walls, and into the local lore went the idea that the U.S. military was secretly testing recovered alien technology. The attention brought Mr. McGee scores of fans who adored his dedication and his style: Mr. McGee, who is Black and said he speaks and dresses
jun 7, 2025, 4:26 am • 79 9

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camerontalley.bsky.social @camerontalley.bsky.social

Unidentified Flying Objects are very real. Whether they are alien, human, or natural, now that is another matter altogether.

jun 7, 2025, 6:02 am • 0 0 • view
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MB @sugarcubedog.bsky.social

Is that the Stuart Thompson story about Dom Lucre? The guy who posted horrific CSAM on X? The guy is awful. The story isn’t honest.

jun 7, 2025, 4:38 am • 2 0 • view
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Skeeter @skeeeeeeter.bsky.social

These people sound very drunk

jun 7, 2025, 4:28 am • 0 0 • view
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Occam’s Shaving Cream @occamshavecream.bsky.social

The Times article was wild. Really well-sourced.

jun 7, 2025, 4:27 am • 0 0 • view
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social

WSJ reporters on the Pentagon cultivating myths about UFOs for its own purposes: www.wsj.com/politics/nat... NYT’s @stuartathompson.bsky.social on a right-wing influencer cultivating outrage to goose payouts: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/t...

jun 7, 2025, 4:35 am • 19 9 • view