Art Bell, Heaven's Gate, and Journalistic Integrity

THOMAS C. GENONI JR.

show and claimed that rJiree "remote viewers" associated with his institute had confirmed Shramek's findings and, incredibly, had determined it to be a metallic object full of aliens. As further proof. Brown sent Bell a photograph of the Hale-Bopp "companion" (allegedly taken by someone Brown identified only as a "top-ten university astronomer") on die condition that Bell hold off display- ing the image on his Web page until the astronomer in question held a news con- ference. (Meanwhile, astronomers ana- lyzing Shramek's mystery object con- cluded it was a misidentified star, though Shramek continues to dispute this.) After two months of waiting for the secret astronomer to come forward (time also spent feeding the Hale-Bopp UFO hype). Bell decided to post the Trever, Albuquerque Journal, by permission. secret photograph. One day later Bell was contacted by Oliver Hainut and ollowing the Heavens Gate sui- Coast AM, began roughly thirteen years David Tholen, both professors from the cides, the public learned that news ago and is America's most syndicated late- University of Hawaii, who said diat Fof a "companion UFO" trailing night talk radio program. Carried five Brown's image was merely a doctored Comet Hale-Bopp—a rumor spread days a week on AM stations throughout copy of one of dieir recent comet pho- predominately by late-night talk radio the country (widi a sixth show called tos, and they provided a comparison to host Art Bell—may well have con- Dreamland on Sundays), it regularly fea- prove it. The image was a fake. tributed to cult members taking their tures a parade of paranormal oddities. As one might expect, Bell took a lives in an attempt to "graduate," as their Theories about a strange object near number of steps to distance himself from Web site described it, to a "higher level" Hale-Bopp were first made public in the very controversy he had spent so and leave Earth in a spacecraft. Bell will November of last year when Chuck much rime promoting. Brown, who had tell you he did nothing wrong. The full Shramek, an amateur astronomer from enjoyed frequent publicity on Bell's pro- story reveals it's not quite tiiat simple. Houston, called Art Bell's program to gram, was no longer welcome (to this The Art Bell Show, officially Coast to report diat a photograph of his appeared day Brown refuses to reveal the mystery to show a large object behind the comet, astronomer's identity). Links previously Tom Genoni is the CSICOP West Coast an object he speculated to be up to four advancing die UFO story—including Bureau Chief at the Center for times die size of Earth. The following audio files of the November shows con- Inquiry- West in Los Angeles, California. night, Courtney Brown, a tenured pro- taining die early Hale-Bopp "compan- He interviewed Art Bell by phone in fessor of political science at Emory ion" discussions—disappeared from March. He can be reached at tommy- University and director of the Farsight Bell's Web pages. (Bell says diat all of die [email protected]. Institute in Atlanta, was a guest on Bell's audio files from those November shows

2 2 July/August 1997 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER were lost when a hard drive crashed.) "sufficient material," and he seems members appeared to have been aware Russel Sipe, an Internet expert who unconcerned that his sources eventually of the Hale-Bopp UFO debunking. The maintains a popular Internet site devoted proved to be totally unreliable. first line of dieir now infamous Web site to educating the public and combating What about the possibility that reads: "Whether Hale-Bopp has a 'com- the pseudoscience linked to the comet thirty-nine people ended their lives in panion' or not is irrelevant from our per- (www.halcbopp.com), also noted diat part because of Bell's promotion of false spective." However, the cult's Internet when Alan Hale paid a visit to the radio information? Bell doubts the cult mem- link to die Art Bell homepage also indi- program in early March, Bell "talked bers incorporated the "companion cates it's likely they first heard about an about the magnificence of the comet. . . UFO" story into dieir mass suicide deci- approaching spaceship during Bell's and even seemed to suggest that there sion. He says that in the weeks following two-month-long UFO escapade. was no evidence for anomalous elements the Courtney Brown debacle, the "entire But whatever the Heaven's Gate cult surrounding Hale-Bopp." fraud was heavily exposed" and that the members or anyone else may have done Despite the blatant reversal of posi- revelations all occurred two months with the information presented on his tion, Bell says he doesn't regret having before die Rancho Santa Fe suicides. radio show, Bell feels that is not his publicized the Hale-Bopp UFO story. And in a further attempt to paint him- responsibility. "I'm not going to stop "You have to remember I had several self as just another innocent reporter at presenting my material because diere are sources," Bell explains. "In addition to the mercy of his sources. Bell asserted unstable people," he insists. "That's Shramek's photo, I had a university pro- that "the media had it totally, utterly what the First Amendment is all about." fessor at Emory who supplied us widi wrong" in their initial reports of the Constitutional rights aside. Bell's wild photographic evidence of what he said numbers and ages of suicide victims, as Hale-Bopp tales have clearly extended was true." Keep in mind this is the same if to compare his show's unsubstantiated beyond die confines of harmless late- professor who, for a mere $3,000, will and pretentious banter about a massive, night entertainment and have con- teach students enrolled at his "Institute" comet-trailing alien craft to the act of tributed yet another ominous paranor- to communicate with extraterrestrials. gathering details during a breaking, mal myth to a public of both stable and Nevertheless, Bell maintains that Brown tragic news story. Most important for "unstable" people regularly misinformed and Shramek's evidence constituted Bell, though, is that the Heaven's Gate about science.

A Heaven's Gate Recruiting Session in Colorado

In the spring of 7995 five representatives of what has since The five members lectured on how the fallen angel, come to be known as Heaven's Gate were recruiting mem- Lucifer, and his followers tempt humans with sex, egoism, bad bers at Koelbel Public Library in Littleton, Colorado. Two habits, and poor judgment. Our addiction to these behaviors board members from the Rocky Mountain Skeptics, Bill prevents us from seeing the "truth," from differentiating Aldorfer and Becky Greben, attended that meeting. This is between what the "vehicle" (the body) wants and what the their account of what transpired. soul wants. Only by exercising mastery over the temptation to engage in these behaviors at this level can we gain the When we arrived at the Littleton, Colorado, library in the strength needed to control the more sophisticated "vehicle" spring of 1995, we were handed three legal-sized printed in which our soul will reside at the next level. In preparation for entry to the next level, the "crew members" concentrate materials: "Crew From the Evolutionary Level Above Human on changing their behavior. They claim not to engage in sex. Offers Last Chance to Advance Beyond Human," "Organized They do not worship in the conventional sense, despite incor- Religion (Especially Christian) Has Become the Primary Pulpit porating elements of Christian mythology into their system of for Misinformation and the Great Cover-Up," and "UFOs, belief. Their manifesto also contains some environmental ref- Space Aliens, and Their Final Fight for Earth's Spoils." No erences: the current environment is "corrupt," Earth is going names, addresses, or phone numbers appeared in the mate- to be "spaded under," our souls are going to be "recycled." rials. Authorship of only one document was attributed, and that was to "Today's Next Level Crew." All of the panel members participated to one degree or One of the five panel members opened by invoking a another in articulating the group's position. The "education" long period of silence "... to let the truth come in." They of the members included suppression of their individuality said our planet is an experiment to ascertain if humans can and creativity, both of which were to be unleashed when advance to a level above the human kingdom. To them, our they arrived at the next level. They were preparing to leave level—an experiment—is only a stepping stone to the next on the spacecraft—and soon, from the gist of their remarks. level, which is a real place. Jesus exists on this next level and One of the "crew members" remarked, "It's time for us t o be is therefore real proof that the higher level exists. UFOs. an of service to the one who started the experiment." essential part of their mythology, are monitoring the experi- ment and "... waiting to take the harvest from this planet." —Bill Aldorfer

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