Here is a news flash for you. You can't trust mainstream media news flashes or the people who produce them. Just ask the candidates of our most recent presidential campaign or the good citizens of the northeast part of our country who at the time of this writing are still awaiting the "Storm of the Century".

If you are like me you have heard all your life from politicians and high profile entertainers that the mainstream media is snake infested and best avoided. We in the trucking industry are never far from echoing that sentiment simply because of the unjust and headline grabbing manner in which the media so often portrays our profession and us.

I personally am in the middle of a close encounter of the media kind at this very moment and I'm pretty sure that this one will wind up in a courtroom before it is settled. Of course that is not set in stone and will ultimately depend on the way in which KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT chooses to settle this matter.

Here is the story.

On Thursday, March 1st, 2001 I was delivering a trailer to the Union Pacific Intermodal Ramp in Salt Lake City, UT. Up in the sky, approximately 3 miles to the north of where I was at, I saw a huge, black, almost perfect ring just hanging in mid air.

I've never seen anything like it before but luckily, or maybe unluckily in this case, I had a camera with me. I snapped 7 pictures of it and spent the rest of the workday asking other people if they had seen it or knew what it might be. One driver had seen it but like me, had no idea what it was. I won't give his name because unlike certain mainstream media types like the ones at KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT I have more integrity than to subject a hard working father and husband to public ridicule without his permission or even knowledge.

Later, on Thursday night as I was going through my email and other Internet related rituals, it occurred to me that Art Bell or one of his millions of listeners might know exactly what this was. Now keep in mind that if I was just looking for attention or fame I would have been contacting the National Enquirer or some other entity who may pay a great sum of money for these pictures and a companion "Sensational Story". However, I'm not much of a fiction writer and my integrity is not for sale at any price.

I had an honest question and simply wanted an honest answer. With that in mind I sent all seven pictures and a description to Art Bell with the question, "What had I photographed?"

After that I didn't think about it too much. In fact, I don't believe I thought about it at all on Friday because I was too busy at work.

That evening as I was checking my email the very first message I received was from Matt Winzenried, the managing editor at KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT. He stated that they were very interested in hearing my story about the UFO sighting.

This raised numerous red flags immediately. First of all I had not even mentioned the acronym "UFO" or the words, "unidentified flying object" to anyone, including Art Bell, concerning the anomaly I had photographed. Secondly, I had not contacted anyone in the media about my pictures except Art Bell and I am fairly certain that Art Bell would not have called KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT. Their market is not even 1% of his. Thirdly, I know without a doubt that Art Bell has more class than to publish my email address without my permission.

Immediately I picked up the phone and called that editor to let him know that I had not claimed to see a UFO. Mr. Winzenried had already left for the day so I talked to the guy who answered the phone and knew what I was talking about. I specifically told him that I had not claimed to see a UFO and that I was not interested in going on the news. After talking to him I also replied to Mr. Winzenried's email with the same statement and also a copy of the original letter I had sent to Art Bell. You can read Mr. Winzenried's letter, along with my reply to it by clicking HERE.

I had hoped that this would be the end of it. Little did I know at that time but this had not even been the beginning.

You see? KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT had already taken it upon themselves to steal my copyrighted photographs off of Art Bells' copyrighted web site and transmitted them both over the air without even contacting either of us. This was about midday on Friday, hours before I received the kindly sounding email from
Mr. Winzenried.

Not only did they infringe upon our respective copyrights but also proceeded to defame my character by putting false words in my mouth. And to top it off assured their audience that they would get to the bottom of this by conducting an investigation and finding out whether I was perpetrating a hoax.

Now I do not watch KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT so I had no idea this was even going on until a friend called and told me about it the following Monday night. Had I known I would have granted them open, though cautious interview that very first night. I guess Mr. Winzenried and his two subsequent staff members I spoke to on the phone just forgot to tell me that little detail.

Instead, without even checking, or caring about the facts, KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT chose to use tabloid tactics in an attempt to get me to embarrass myself unknowingly even further than they already had.

This leaves me in a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, I have often said that our country has become far too litigious. Many of us burden the courts frivolously in an attempt to make us instantly rich. This has made a few people very rich but ultimately at the expense of every other citizen in higher costs and loss of freedoms.

I have also often said that you're right to swing your fist in public ends where it meets the point of my nose.

In this case, KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT has shown a total and careless disregard for my integrity, my copyrighted material, my relationships with my family, friends, neighbors, customers co-workers and employer. They did not care if classmates who may or may not have seen their lies on TV embarrassed my children. They only cared about ratings.

I know as well as you do that Jesus Christ was convicted and crucified not by facts but by innuendo and half-truths. KSTU FOX 13 in Salt Lake City, UT knows this tactic better than you and me put together.

Worse, if they are willing to commit these egregious crimes against some working family man who just wants to make it to the next payday, and who's only crime was to take some pictures and ask an honest question, then who else might they have harmed in the past? And who also might they harm in the future? My children or my friends and neighbors? Or perhaps some freshman politician who might have otherwise been the Thomas Jefferson of our generation? A stretch I know but in all honesty, who's to say?

I feel I am left with an obligation both to my ancestors and progeny to protect the integrity of my name. I also feel I am morally obligated to protect future innocents from the equal violation of their rights and integrity. At the very least I feel I am fully within my rights to demand an aired retraction and apology and I want pre-notification of when that will air. I also feel I am within my rights to demand compensation for the public transmittal of my copyrighted materials.

Yours truly,
Keith A. Hamblin

If you would like to let Fox know what you think then please email them at: Matt Winzenried or, because I understand he is getting a lot of mail and some is bouncing because it is overfilled, at: The general news Email.

You can also send comments to the network at this Address comments@foxnews.com

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