Exopolitics Alert: Reporter Sacked for Supporting Witness to Stephenville UFO Sighting
[Updated February 12, 2008 - Kona, Hawaii, Exopolitics Institute] News broke on February 9 concerning the sacking of a small town newspaper reporter who broke the Stephenville Texas UFO sightings case, and intimidation of a key witness who saw the UFO in daylight (click here for another article). The witness, Ricky Sorrells, was given threatening phone calls and visits by helicopters. The reporter, Angelia Joiner, publicized what was happening to the Sorrells in two stories on February 3 and 4 .
She claims that subsequent to her coverage of Sorrell's harassment: "A city councilman here talked to (Texas media) and said the whole thing was an embarrassment to the town (or something to that effect.)" Her employer subsequently notified her of official disapproval of her news coverage, and she was told to back off. She subsequently offered to resign. With regard to her forced resignation/sacking on Febuary 7, she is quoted as saying: "I gave two weeks notice but this morning they had confiscated my computer and I was told to pack up and get out. I'm devastated and still in shock."
As the initial stories exposing her sacking/forced resignation suggest, she lost her job as a result of her support for Sorrells. The newspaper made record sales during her coverage of the UFO reports. The idea that the Town Council was embarassed and wanted to put a stop to the news coverage appears to be a cover for the real reason. It may be that covert national security teams are in damage control and have moved into high gear to cover this story up, by approaching town officials to help. If true, 'national security' was undoubtedly given as a justification to the publisher for why Ms Joiner should be sacked. Ms Joiner, however, contests this view in a public email: "I do not believe they were contacted by some higher up telling them to stop the stories. If that were the case they would have told me." If higher authorities did intervene in Ms Joiner's case due to national security concerns, it is very possible that this would not have been relayed to her.
I also recommend reading a recent story of Sorrell's harassment,
and an Earthfiles report by Linda Howe on Stephenville and Sorrell's testimony.
A sample letter protesting the forced resignation/sacking of Angelia Joiner is also available online. The publisher of the Stephenville Empire-Tribune is Rochelle Stidham whose email is: rochelle.stidham@empiretribune.com , and the name of the Managing Editor is Sara Vanden Berge whose email: sara.vandenberge@empiretribune.com . The fax number for the Empire-Tribune is: 254-965-4269. If you choose to write a letter to the Empire Tribute protesting Ms Joiner's treatment, please maintain a respectful and courteous tone.
I request you circulate this Exopolitics Alert to friends and interested parties so this kind of treatment of reporters covering UFO issues is exposed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------New UFO Sighting Reported In Stephenville Texas
Fired Reporter Angelia Joiner Sparks Conspiracy Theories
The truth may be out there, but, when it comes to UFO stories, it is sure hard to find. Conjecture breeds conspiracy theories. Any official denial can be labeled a cover-up. In the end, it often boils down to a he-said-she-said scenario.
Such is the case in Stephenville, Texas, a small, rural community thrust into the spotlight after several unexplained disturbances in January. Though that spotlight has now faded, the town remains altered. Some members of the community want to move on; others cannot let go. And some, if you believe them, say that UFOs are still there.
According to Angelia Joiner, the reporter who wrote the original UFO stories, there was another UFO sighting on Saturday. "If the military is testing a secret military device, why do they keep doing it here?" she asked me. "If it's not a secret why do they keep scaring the bejesus out of people?"
Adding a further wrinkle to this story, Joiner was fired from The Empire-Tribune a week ago. She claims she had been told to back off the story and thinks the town's "upper crust" was "embarrassed" by all the attention. The Empire-Tribune has avoided comment, which of course only fans the flames of the conspiracy theories.
For its part, the military has done itself no favors, first denying that it had any aircraft in the area, then flip-flopping a few days later -- after more witnesses came forward. A spokesperson blamed internal miscommunication for the mix-up. Others, including CNN's Larry King, have asked whether it wasn't a cover-up.
But who can we believe? The truth remains unidentified.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2008/02/new_ufo_sighting_reported_in_s.html?nav=rss_blog
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