Once again I'm dismayed by the dismissive attitude the media takes with reports of paranormal occurrences.
Many people in the Warrnambool area reported a loud bang accompanied by lights in the sky last night, yet the author of this article in The Standard (below) treats it like some kind of joke.
I bet they'd be laughing on the other side of their face if they were abducted... (perhaps literally - who knows what kind of experiments an alien race would conduct on a reporter from a rural newspaper?)
The website for this article includes a reader poll asking if the 'explosion' was either:
a) a meteor shower
b) visiting alien life
c) a sonic boom
d) other
The winning response after 1177 votes?
b) visiting alien life
with a wopping 49.9% of the vote!
I think that's pretty conclusive evidence right there...
http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/big-bang-sets-warrnambool-alight/2134207.aspx
Big bang sets Warrnambool alight
14 Apr, 2011 11:45 AM
WAS it an earthquake? Did Tower Hill erupt into action? Did a meteor crash to earth or was it a alien invasion?
The 'big bang' that was heard about 1am this morning had residents talking and people hypothesising on Facebook after reports of an "explosion" shaking homes in Winslow, Warrnambool and Terang.
This was allegedly accompanied by flashes of light in the sky that were variously described as being pink, orange and yellow, and seen as far away as Mortlake and Port Fairy.
Rumours grew and pranksters swooped: it was a tsunami heading towards Lady Bay; it was an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale that caused "extensive minor damage"; it was a sonic boom from a passing defence force jet.
The Standard has been able to confirm that it wasn't an earth tremor, with Geoscience Australia stating that no seismic activity had been recorded in the region.
Nearby volcano Tower Hill also appeared to be its usual dormant self.
Local police were unable to shed any light on the mystery, leaving the truth out there, but investigations are continuing.