ABC Ridicules Bigfoot & Travel Channel Doesn’t
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 30th, 2006
Over the weekend and into today, you’ve probably continued to read and hear a great deal about the so-called "Bigfoot" activity in Malaysia. Most of the articles have been rehashed treatments. Some have been reasonable, especially the news items written closer to the core of the activities. A few have even contained new info, as already mentioned here.
But unfortunately, now that the Americans are more widely reporting on it, with increased frequently, the anchor people are laughing about it and saying things like the "family of the cameraman who filmed the Bigfoot with Roger Patterson," confessed it was all a hoax. See what ABC News broadcast, for example, via this link.
Since Roger Patterson filmed the Bigfoot at Bluff Creek, and Bob Gimlin stood by with a gun, the "cameraman" was Roger Patterson. Neither his family or Gimlin or anyone truly linked to the footage has said anything like that. Various people have come forward "claiming" they know more than they probably do, and have tried to debunk the film with stories about them being in the suit. Or that there was a zipper on it. Or that they know this or that. None of those claims (critically surveyed here) have panned out. But then, what do you expect from news anchors trying to joke about a story they only know about after a 30 second reading of a press release? Or the showing of a fifth generation doctored version of the Patterson-Gimlin footage?
The ridicule curtain backlash begins.
See also how the media treated the Ray Wallace story in a similar fashion, "Is Bigfoot Really Dead?".
On an upbeat note: Be sure to watch the Travel Channel’s "Weird Travels" today (Jan 30) for three programs on cryptozoology (check your local listings). The ones on "Bigfoot" and "Creepy Creatures" are new for this month. The one on "Lake Monsters" is also recent, from last fall.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
It isn’t suprising. Mainstream Media likes to write off these kinds of stories and I have found that when one skeptical view rises (such as the idea that some in the Patterson family think it was fake.)Then that is the story they latch onto to write the whole thing off.
Cause to them, Bigfoot isn’t a real news story. Its a funny little bit of filler that needs to be tightly wrapped up in 45 seconds.
“Oh look at how silly some people are.” Lets chuckle and show everyone just how much fun news can be!
I would very much like to see the egg on the faces of the mainstream media folks who constantly ridicule Bigfoot when a real specimen is caught. I only hope I live long enough to see it.
The only thing I watch on ABC is football, if it wasn’t for that they could go off the air and I`d never miss it !
I actually fired off a nasty gram via email to ABC news. Got a reply that my comments were being forwarded to the appropriate parties… we’ll see