Alleged
UFO over Portsmouth. (CREDIT
:
Lewis Rogers)
:
Lewis Rogers)
Portsmouth
UFO hoax ignites media frenzy
Posted
by: Jason McClellan September 22, 2014 0 3,046
Views
Multiple
witnesses allegedly observed a UFO over the Hampshire city of Portsmouth in
England.
Several
people began posting sighting claims on Twitter beginning on Tuesday, September
16. Witnesses described seeing a fast moving, grey, disc-like object. One
witness, Lewis Rogers, claimed he saw the strange object on Wednesday,
September 17, and he posted a photo of the UFO to Twitter.
7:06 PM - 17 Sep 2014 Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Local
newspaper, the Portsmouth News, published a story about the UFO sightings. “My initial thought was it was an aeroplane, but it was just moving
too quickly,” Rogers explained to the paper. “I was the only one that saw it
but was quick enough to take the picture.” He continued, “I definitely believe
in UFOs and am very interested in science fiction, and often look up at the sky
in the evening wondering if there is anything or anyone else out there.”
The
object in Rogers’ photo is just an elongated blur, providing no detail. The
object’s appearance led some to speculate that it was simply a bird or even a
cloud. The Portsmouth News checked with the Met Office, UK’s
national weather service, to get a professional opinion about the unusual
object. The Met’s Laura Young stated, “After looking at the images, I can say the
object is nothing to do with the weather. It is not meteorological and is not a
cloud.”
Media
outlets around the world ran with the story about this mysterious UFO over
Portsmouth, despite the lack of any real details except for photos showing a
blurry object in the sky.
A
major red flag with this case emerged right from the start. Although several
people were posting on Twitter about having seen the UFO, or about wanting to
see the UFO, all of these posts included the hashtag #pompeyufo (Pompey is the nickname
for Portsmouth). And the posts generally seemed silly and light-hearted. Even
Rogers was having fun with his alleged sighting. He posted, “Just found the
#pompeyufo,” and included a photo of himself posing with a miniature figure of
E.T.
3 likes
0 comments
The
use of a hashtag by multiple people is a good indication that a UFO sighting is
a hoax carried out with the hopes of creating a buzz to PROMOTE some
upcoming event.
some
upcoming event.
And
that is exactly what happened in this case.
Several
of the people posting on Twitter about the #pompeyufo are members of the Hill
Valley Preservation Society (a group of Back to the Future fans). This group is
participating in the upcoming Sci Fi and Fantasy Weekend, a weekend event in
Portsmouth celebrating science fiction and fantasy. On Monday, September 22,
organizers posted on the event’s Facebook page that they were responsible for
the UFO hoax. It was an attempt at a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming
event.
This
isn’t the first UFO hoax carried out for PROMOTIONAL purposes.
And it surely won’t be the last. The UFO hoax is always a confusing and
questionable marketing gimmick. Sure, in this case, the UFO photo made
headlines around the world. But all that attention is on the UFO, not the
event. Although the truth about its purpose has been revealed, very few media
outlets will go back and edit their stories, or choose to publish new stories
about the UFO’s true origin.
purposes.
And it surely won’t be the last. The UFO hoax is always a confusing and
questionable marketing gimmick. Sure, in this case, the UFO photo made
headlines around the world. But all that attention is on the UFO, not the
event. Although the truth about its purpose has been revealed, very few media
outlets will go back and edit their stories, or choose to publish new stories
about the UFO’s true origin.
But
beyond the UFO’s effectiveness as a marketing gimmick, its use in instances
like this perpetuates the idea that all UFOs are either hoaxes or have some
other easy explanation. It’s also like “crying wolf,” which makes media outlets
less likely to take UFO sightings seriously. Yes, most UFO sightings can
eventually be explained. But there are the truly unexplainable instances out
there that deserve widespread attention and inquiry. Hoaxes like the Portsmouth
UFO make that increasingly difficult by putting the global media’s spotlight on
rubbish.
ABOUT JASON MCCLELLAN
Jason
McClellan is a UFO journalist and the producer/co-host of the web series
Spacing Out! He is also the web content manager and staff writer for
OpenMinds.tv, and a co-organizer and technical producer of the International
UFO Congress. As a founding member of Open Minds, Jason served as a writer and
editor for the now defunct Open Minds magazine. He has appeared on Syfy,
NatGeo, and, most recently, he co-starred on H2's Hangar 1: The UFO
Files. ------ Follow Jason on Twitter @acecentric and subscribe
to Jason's updates on Facebook
Posters' comment:
I do agree entirely with Jason's comment below and I thank him for clarifying this situation.
But beyond the UFO’s effectiveness as a marketing gimmick, its use in instances like this perpetuates the idea that all UFOs are either hoaxes or have some other easy explanation. It’s also like “crying wolf,” which makes media outlets less likely to take UFO sightings seriously. Yes, most UFO sightings can eventually be explained. But there are the truly unexplainable instancesout there that deserve widespread attention and inquiry. Hoaxes like the Portsmouth UFO make that increasingly difficult by putting the global media’s spotlight on rubbish.
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