Investigative Journalist / Author
Independent / The New York Times (contributing)
Leslie Kean is an investigative journalist and author whose 2017 New York Times article on the Pentagon's secret UAP programme — co-authored with Ralph Blumenthal — is widely considered the most consequential piece of UAP journalism in the modern era. She also co-authored the 2023 article introducing David Grusch to the public.
Kean spent years building credibility on the UAP subject with her 2010 book "UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record" — a methodologically rigorous account drawing on testimony from senior military and government officials from multiple countries.
In 2017, after being approached by Luis Elizondo and Christopher Mellon, she and colleague Ralph Blumenthal broke the AATIP story in the New York Times, along with the publication of the authenticated Nimitz FLIR video. The article triggered the modern era of UAP disclosure.
In June 2023, she and Blumenthal co-wrote the article in The Debrief that introduced David Grusch's whistleblower claims to the public — again, a major inflection point in the disclosure process. Her significance lies in her ability to apply mainstream journalistic standards to a subject that most editors had previously treated as fringe.
Publishes "UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record"
Co-authors the NYT AATIP article that breaks the modern UAP story
Co-authors The Debrief article introducing David Grusch's whistleblower claims
The journalist most responsible for bringing UAP into the mainstream via The New York Times. Her sourcing methodology and long-term persistence on the story are highly regarded.
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