UAPgradeUAPgrade Italiano

Person

Leslie Kean

Journalist; co-author of the articles on AATIP (2017) and on Grusch (2023)

2017– · Media · Journalist

An investigative journalist, she is co-author, with Helene Cooper and Ralph Blumenthal, of the New York Times article of December 16, 2017 that made AATIP and Luis Elizondo public. With Blumenthal she wrote in The Debrief, on June 5, 2023, the article that launched David Grusch, explaining that she published it there to protect him after other outlets refused. She said that Karl Nell considered him beyond reproach and that Garry Nolan vouched for him. On June 9, 2026 she co-hosted, with James Fox, Grusch's press conference at the Capitol.

Key claims
  • Reported that Karl Nell called Grusch beyond reproach and that Garry Nolan knew him well and vouched for him (2023).
  • Wrote, with Blumenthal, that for decades the Air Force ran a disinformation campaign to discredit sightings (2023).
Controversies
  • The critic Art Levine argues that the 2017 article omitted the paranormal research funded by AAWSAP and cites Kean as saying that the goal was to lend credibility to the topic.
  • In 2020 Elizondo submitted to Pentagon review a screenplay based on a book by Kean.
Today
Active; on June 9, 2026 she co-hosted in Washington Grusch's press conference with several representatives.

Documented authority

It measures how documented and verifiable what the person claims is, not their honesty. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2.

Credentials 2/2
The bylined articles in the New York Times (2017) and The Debrief (2023) are documented.
Direct access not applicable
Not applicable: does not claim direct knowledge of the facts; reports sources or documents.
Evidence provided 1/2
In 2017 the central facts (existence of the program, videos) were confirmed by the Pentagon and the Navy, whereas the 2023 claims about Grusch have no public evidence.
Claims track record 1/2
Mixed outcome: the 2017 reports found confirmation, the 2023 ones are denied by AARO or remain unverified.
Conflicts of interest 1/2
One of her books was adapted into a screenplay by Elizondo, her source, in 2020; no other documented interests are on record.

Sources

  1. New York Times, December 16, 2017: the Pentagon's secret program (AATIP) (press)
  2. The Debrief (Kean and Blumenthal), June 5, 2023 (press, pro-disclosure)
  3. The Atlantic, June 7, 2023 (press)
  4. New York Times, transcript of Ezra Klein's podcast with Leslie Kean (June 20, 2023) (video/audio)
  5. Vanity Fair, June 8, 2023 (press)
  6. UAP Desk, May 29, 2026: Grusch's press conference at the Capitol (press, pro-disclosure)

On this site

Cases 3

Timeline 2

Open in the interactive archive The whole section: Directory of people

UAPgrade's entries are compiled with artificial intelligence (three verifiers with opposing roles) and checked against the sources listed above: how we work. Have a document that changes this entry? Bring it to the Investigations Unit.