Any science journalist would rejoice at the revelation of aliens on Earth. It would be the story of a lifetime. So it’s not surprising that a former Israeli space official’s claim that a Galactic Federation is known to the U.S. government has made a few headlines and trended on Twitter.
Of course, most science journalists have already been alerted to the presence of aliens by any number of readers who would like to testify about their personal E.T. encounters.
Yet despite how desperately some science journalists wish for alien visitation to be real, few among us ever believe any such reports. Proper policy is to decline to interview any would-be informant about their alien experience and instead insist on interviewing the aliens themselves.