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George Knapp (television journalist)

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This article is about the American journalist. For other people with the same name, see George Knapp (disambiguation).
George Knapp
Knapp at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards
Born
Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of the Pacific (M.A.)
University of West Georgia (B.A.)
Occupation(s)Journalist and talk radio host
Known forUFO journalism (including Bob Lazar)
Coast to Coast AM
TelevisionKLAS-TV

George T. Knapp is an American television investigative journalist, news anchor and talk radio host in Las Vegas, NV. Beginning in the late 1980[1]s, Knapp became one of the first main stream investigative reporters to report extensively about UFO.UAP and high strangeness cases, alternatively known as UFO conspiracy theories. Knapp's work has been recognized with five regional and two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Peabody Awards, and twenty-eight Pacific Southwest Regional Emmy Awards, nine-time winner of the Associated Press Mark Twain Award for best Newswriting and selected by United Press International as best in the nation for Individual Achievement by a Journalist[2].  

A longtime fixture in Las Vegas media Knapp began work at KLVX-TV Channel 10 as a part-time studio cameraman and production assistant. In 1981, KLAS-TV hired him as a general assignment reporter and co-anchor. Since 1995, Knapp has been the chief reporter on Channel 8's I-Team investigative unit[3].

Knapp is also a weekend host (3rd and 4rth Sundays of the month) on Coast to Coast AM, a syndicated paranormal radio show. He is known for his work investigating UFO claims, which are a frequent topic of Coast to Coast.

Early life

Born in Woodbury, New Jersey, Knapp grew up in Northern California and graduated from Franklin High School in Stockton, where he was the senior class president.[4] He earned a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of West Georgia and a master's degree in the same field from the University of the Pacific.[4] He taught debate and forensics at both the University of the Pacific and University of California, Berkeley.[4]

He moved to Las Vegas in 1979, working first as a cab driver before being hired as an intern at KLVX-TV Channel 10.[4] From there, Knapp was hired as a reporter and news anchor for KLAS in 1981.[4]

Career

Knapp broke the story on Bob Lazar in 1989, who claimed to have worked on UFOs at the secretive Area 51. In 1990, Knapp's stories on UFOs earned him an "Individual Achievement by a Journalist" award from the United Press International.

In 1991, Knapp left KLAS to work for Altamira Communications, a public relations firm whose clients included advocates of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository 90 miles (140 km) north of Las Vegas. Knapp was rehired by KLAS-TV in the mid-1990s when he left the public relations firm.

Over a ten-day period In March of 1993, Knapp traveled to the former USSR to meet with government officials,  scientists and investigators to learn more about Russian UFO/UAP investigations. According to Colonel  Boris Sokolov[5], the entire USSR, the entire military had a standing order to fully investigate these anomalous events and report back to the Ministry of Defense. Knapp was able to obtain copies of these investigative reports which included classified information for thousands of UFO/UAP incidents. According to Sokolov, the Russians wanted to duplicate this advanced UFO/UAP technology to beat the United States in terms of stealth technology.[6] ​

Knapp also learned that a number of Russian scientists had been studying this phenomena in secret for a long time often at their own peril. On his subsequent trip to Russia in 1996, Knapp met with scientists who studied UFO/UAP landing sites. This included the work of Dr. Yuri Simakov, a biologist looking at microorganisms in the soil at UFO landing sites. Simakov found little opaque orbs or spheres in the soil and gave them to Knapp who brought them back to the US for further study.     ​

Knapp's investigative UFO/UAP work in Russia has been confirmed by Colonel Boris Sokolov, the UK Ministry of Defence[7] [8], MUFON[9], Dr. Hal Puthoff[10], and in Knapp's own words on the record submitted into the US Congressional record by Representative Tim Burchett. ​

Knapp further determined similarities between US and Russian UFO/UAP programs and messaging to the public.  Both countries said "nothing to see here" but behind the scenes maintained secret UFO/UAP studies.  ​

Knapp directed the documentary film UFO's the Best Evidence (1994) Winner of 2 EBE Awards including Best Film and Best Historical Documentary at the International UFO Congress Film Festival.

He wrote a regular "Knappster" column for the now-defunct alternative newsweeklies Las Vegas Mercury and Las Vegas CityLife.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Knapp was given long-term access to the work of the National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS). Founded by Las Vegas businessman Robert Bigelow, NIDS was charged with studying the unusual phenomena at the ranch using main stream science and scientists. In 2005, based on his work with NIDS and biochemist Colm Kelleher, Knapp published The Hunt for Skinwalker Ranch: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah about the Skinwalker Ranch in northeast Utah, where events of high strangeness are alleged to have occurred.

On January 10, 2023, George Knapp premiered the Podcast Weaponized along with American Ufologist and filmmaker Jeremy Corbell discussing a wide range of topics including events of high strangeness and current state of ufology.

On July 26, 2023, Knapp attended and provided a 4-page statement to the National Security Subcommittee hearing on UAP’s[11]. Knapp’s letter was entered into the congressional record by Representative Tim Burchett[12]. In his statement Knapp wrote “Since 1969, the position of our military has been that UFOs pose no threat to national security and are not worthy of further study. This dismissive attitude is directly at odds with what was revealed in documents, reports, and internal memos.”

Knapp has been credited for introducing Nevada senator Harry Reid to Robert Bigelow because of their shared interest in unidentified aerial phenomena.

Awards

Knapp has won five regional and two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, twenty-eight Pacific Southwest Regional Emmy Awards, and nine Associated Press Mark Twain Awards. He has also won a DuPont Award from Columbia University.

Knapp and photojournalist Matt Adams were recognized for their work on the investigative series Crossfire: Water, Power, and Politics that received a 2008 Peabody Award.

Knapp, photojournalist Matt Adams, and journalist Colleen McCarty were recognized for their work on the investigative documentary series Desert Underwater that received a 2011 Peabody Award.

Animal welfare

Knapp has been concerned with animal welfare since the beginning of his journalism career. Since hosting occasionally with Coast to Coast AM, he hosts an annual animal welfare broadcast concerning issues, the development of law, animal cruelty and remediation efforts. The 2016 broadcast covered various issues including horses and trophy hunting, noting the almost one year anniversary since the killing of Cecil the lion and the effect the incident was still causing at the date of the show.

References

  1. ^ "I-Team: A look at how Bob Lazar interviews match up with Pentagon's admission of studying UFOs". KLAS. May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "George Knapp". KLAS. June 14, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "George Knapp". KLAS. June 14, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e 2008 Interview with George Knapp.
  5. ^ Shough, Martin (March 31, 2018). "Review of Belgium in UFO Photographs, Volume 1 (1950–1988), FOTOCAT Report #7 by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos and Wim van Utrecht. Turin". Journal of Scientific Exploration. 32 (1): 201–214. doi:10.31275/2018/1265. ISSN 0892-3310.
  6. ^ Russian Scientists Risked Everything to investigate UFOs : WEAPONIZED : EPISODE #16. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ Hills, N A; Dicks, C A; Quinn, S B; Ward, J R (November 5, 2003). "HMS Nottingham: From Wolf Rock To Portsmouth". Drydocks, Launching & Shiplift. RINA. doi:10.3940/rina.dry.2003.11.
  8. ^ Hills, N A; Dicks, C A; Quinn, S B; Ward, J R (November 5, 2003). "HMS Nottingham: From Wolf Rock To Portsmouth". Drydocks, Launching & Shiplift. RINA. doi:10.3940/rina.dry.2003.11.
  9. ^ Stubbings, Daniel; Ali, Sophie; Wong, Alexander (April 9, 2024). "Who Sees UFOs? The Relationship Between Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Sightings and Personality Factors". Journal of Scientific Exploration. 38 (1): 11–27. doi:10.31275/20243153. ISSN 0892-3310.
  10. ^ Stubbings, Daniel; Ali, Sophie; Wong, Alexander (April 9, 2024). "Who Sees UFOs? The Relationship Between Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Sightings and Personality Factors". Journal of Scientific Exploration. 38 (1): 11–27. doi:10.31275/20243153. ISSN 0892-3310.
  11. ^ WATCH LIVE: UFO congressional hearing explores unexplained aerial phenomena. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ^ Cockrell, R Chase; Murphy, Linda; Rodeghier, Mark (June 29, 2022). "Social factors and UFO reports: was the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic associated with an increase in UFO reporting?". dx.doi.org. Retrieved May 6, 2024.


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