George Knapp
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 7
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| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Knapp |
| On the Timeline | 9 events, 1987–2023 |
George Knapp (born 1952) is an American television journalist at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, an award-winning investigative reporter and one of the best-known journalists covering UFOs. He broke the story of Bob Lazar in 1989, publicised Skinwalker Ranch, and has co-written books on the Pentagon's AAWSAP program.[1][2]
Early life and career
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Knapp was born in Woodbury, New Jersey, and grew up in northern California, graduating from Franklin High School in Stockton. He earned a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of West Georgia and a master's degree from the University of the Pacific, where he taught debate. He moved to Las Vegas in 1979, drove a taxi, and interned at the public station KLVX-TV before KLAS-TV hired him as a reporter and anchor in 1981.[1]
At KLAS he has worked as an anchor, a commentator and a member of the "I-Team" investigative unit, covering organised crime and government corruption. Apart from a period from 1991 to 1995 at a public relations firm, he has stayed at the station. His awards include two Peabody Awards (one shared with photographer Matt Adams for Crossfire: Water, Power and Politics), Edward R. Murrow Awards, a duPont–Columbia Award, and more than twenty regional Emmy Awards.[1][3]
Bob Lazar
In 1987 and 1988 Knapp interviewed aviator John Lear, who claimed the U.S. government held alien craft. Lear introduced him to a man called "Dennis", whom KLAS interviewed in silhouette in May 1989; a November 1989 follow-up revealed him as Bob Lazar, who claimed to have worked on alien craft near Area 51. The reports drew international attention and made Area 51 famous. Knapp also interviewed conspiracy promoter Bill Cooper in 1989 and in 1990 presented a program critical of Cooper's claims. He won a UPI journalism award in 1990 for his UFO reporting.[1][4]
Skinwalker Ranch and AAWSAP
From the late 1990s Knapp worked closely with Robert Bigelow's National Institute for Discovery Science. With its deputy administrator, biochemist Colm Kelleher, he wrote Hunt for the Skinwalker (2005) about strange events at the Utah ranch. He is credited with introducing Senator Harry Reid to Bigelow, a connection that led to the Pentagon's AAWSAP program.[1][5] With Kelleher and DIA scientist James Lacatski he co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021), an insider account of the program, and he obtained and published documents including Reid's 2009 letter seeking special protection for it.[6]
Other work
Knapp is a regular host of the radio program Coast to Coast AM. With filmmaker Jeremy Corbell he co-hosts the podcast Weaponized, and he appeared in Corbell's documentary Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers. He attended the July 2023 congressional UAP hearing and hosted the Netflix series Investigation Alien (2024).[1][7]
Assessment
Rolling Stone called Knapp the "John the Baptist" of the modern UFO movement. Skeptic Mick West has written that Knapp is a believer in alien visitation, and critics note that his best-known source, Lazar, has not been corroborated.[1][4]
On the UAP Timeline
- John Lear's ParaNet statement (1987) (29 December 1987) — Pilot John Lear claims the government has worked with gray aliens since the 1960s.
- Bob Lazar goes public (15 May 1989) — Bob Lazar goes public, claiming he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
- Area 2 encounters at Nellis (October 1998) — A security airman at a Nevada nuclear depot describes a UAP encounter.
- Nevada weapons storage orb (2002) (October 2002) — A three-foot orb is reported moving along fences at a Nevada nuclear weapons storage area.
- DIA interest in Skinwalker Ranch (21 October 2007) — Bigelow says the DIA expressed interest in strange events at Skinwalker Ranch.
- Needles crash reports (2008) (14 May 2008) — Residents near Needles, California report a crash followed by helicopters and convoys.
- Georgia witness visited by agents (2009) (8 May 2009) — A Georgia UAP witness says government agents visited him twice.
- George Knapp's four legacy programs (19 December 2022) — George Knapp says he knows of at least four 'legacy' UAP programs.
- Alfred O'Donnell's Area 51 saucer story (28 February 2023) — George Knapp says a former Area 51 contractor manager told him of a recovered saucer.
References
- George Knapp (television journalist) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- George Knapp — 8NewsNow (KLAS) · 8newsnow.com · archived copy
- "Eyewitness News I-Team Wins Peabody Award", KLAS-TV (2009) · web.archive.org · archived copy
- Stephen Rodrick, "Loving the Alien", Rolling Stone (2020) · rollingstone.com · archived copy
- Bryan Bender, "How Harry Reid, a Terrorist Interrogator and the Singer From Blink-182 Took UFOs Mainstream", Politico (28 May 2021) · politico.com · archived copy
- George Knapp, "I-Team obtains some key documents related to Pentagon UFO study", KLAS (25 Jul 2018) · lasvegasnow.com · archived copy
- "Longtime Las Vegas reporter attends UFO Congress hearing", KNPR (31 Jul 2023) · knpr.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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