Sentry
Paranormal Adept
(Confession- I posted this on Another Type of Site, and got mostly jokes for replies. So, I'm coming back home looking for reasonable input.)
UFO witnesses are subjected to a lot of pressure. Besides the ridicule, they are subjected to examination from investigators and curiosity seekers. Since UFO cases never seem to die, they seem to be thrust into the spotlight for the rest of their lives.
And it's not just the witnesses. Anyone that was mentioned while the case was being investigated becomes part of the record and can be subject to having their privacy violated, such as neighbors, police officers, reporters and doctors.
Given the climate, some people just choose to not report their experience. There should be some way for witnesses to protect themselves. I don't like anonymity, as I think it allows for too many pranks and hoaxes, but maybe partial anonymity? Allow their story to be told with their names on file, but a pseudonym used in public reports.
I guess my question is really about the ethics of journalism. The Internet takes everything to a new level, as articles and videos are permanently archived and the individual has no control how information about them can be exploited. It used to be that the stories would fade away with the newsprint, but now the witnesses' names are out there for everyone to see forever.
The reason I'm thinking about this is I need to beat the bushes while looking into an old case. I have to ask myself, if its fair to bother these people decades later, just because their name is in a UFO case file?
UFO witnesses are subjected to a lot of pressure. Besides the ridicule, they are subjected to examination from investigators and curiosity seekers. Since UFO cases never seem to die, they seem to be thrust into the spotlight for the rest of their lives.
And it's not just the witnesses. Anyone that was mentioned while the case was being investigated becomes part of the record and can be subject to having their privacy violated, such as neighbors, police officers, reporters and doctors.
Given the climate, some people just choose to not report their experience. There should be some way for witnesses to protect themselves. I don't like anonymity, as I think it allows for too many pranks and hoaxes, but maybe partial anonymity? Allow their story to be told with their names on file, but a pseudonym used in public reports.
I guess my question is really about the ethics of journalism. The Internet takes everything to a new level, as articles and videos are permanently archived and the individual has no control how information about them can be exploited. It used to be that the stories would fade away with the newsprint, but now the witnesses' names are out there for everyone to see forever.
The reason I'm thinking about this is I need to beat the bushes while looking into an old case. I have to ask myself, if its fair to bother these people decades later, just because their name is in a UFO case file?