Leslie Kean is an independent American investigative journalist. She worked as a photographer at Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, reported on Burma's democracy movement in the 1990s, and served as producer and on-air host at KPFA radio's Flashpoints program. Since 2000 she has focused on UFO/UAP reporting for mainstream outlets.
Kean compiled official testimonies for her 2010 New York Times bestseller. In 2017 she co-authored the New York Times story exposing the Pentagon's AATIP program. In 2023 she reported intelligence whistleblower David Grusch's claims, contributing to congressional hearings.
- Co-authored December 16, 2017 New York Times article on the Pentagon's AATIP program with Helene Cooper and Ralph Blumenthal.
- Published 2010 New York Times bestseller UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record.
- Plaintiff in successful multi-year FOIA lawsuit against NASA over the 1965 Kecksburg incident.
- With Ralph Blumenthal, broke David Grusch story in The Debrief on June 5, 2023.
- Co-founder of the Coalition for Freedom of Information in 2002.
- United StatesCitizen and primary base of reporting
- The New York TimesCo-author of 2017 and later UAP articles
- KPFAProducer and on-air host, Flashpoints program, 1990s–2000s
- Coalition for Freedom of InformationCo-founder, 2002
- Crown Publishing GroupPublisher of 2010 and 2017 books
- The DebriefCo-author of 2023 Grusch reporting
Background
Leslie Kean grew up in New York City as the daughter of environmentalist Hamilton Fish Kean. She attended the Spence School and graduated from Bard College. In the 1970s she worked as a photographer at Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology. Her early career included human rights reporting on Burma's democracy movement in the 1990s.
Kean co-authored the 1994 book Burma’s Revolution of the Spirit documenting the struggle for democratic freedom. She worked as an investigative journalist, producer, and on-air host at KPFA radio in Berkeley on the Flashpoints program covering criminal justice and international issues. She received grants from the Open Society Institute and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
In 1999 a French colleague provided Kean the COMETA report on UFOs compiled by French military and scientific officials. Her May 2000 Boston Globe article on the report marked her entry into sustained UFO/UAP coverage. In 2002 she co-founded the Coalition for Freedom of Information to advocate for government openness on the topic.
From 2003 onward Kean served as plaintiff in a five-year federal FOIA lawsuit against NASA seeking records on the 1965 Kecksburg, Pennsylvania incident. She organized a 2007 Washington press conference on official UFO investigations. Her reporting appeared in the Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and other outlets through the 2000s.
In 2010 Kean published UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go on the Record through Crown. The New York Times bestseller featured firsthand accounts from figures including French General Wilfried De Brouwer and Arizona Governor Fife Symington. It included radar-visual cases such as the 2004 USS Nimitz incident and the 1967 Malmstrom missile shutdowns.
Kean continued freelance UFO reporting and contributed to Huffington Post articles from 2012 to 2017. In 2017 she met Luis Elizondo shortly after his resignation from the Pentagon's AATIP program. She co-authored the December 16, 2017 New York Times front-page story with Helene Cooper and Ralph Blumenthal disclosing the program's existence and the Navy videos.
The 2017 article prompted Pentagon video releases and renewed official attention. Kean also authored Surviving Death in 2017, which became a Netflix documentary series. She has served as consulting producer on UFO documentary series for History Channel, Hulu, and Disney+.
In June 2023 Kean and Blumenthal published David Grusch's claims of U.S. crash retrieval and reverse-engineering programs in The Debrief. The reporting preceded a July 2023 House Oversight subcommittee hearing. Her work has been profiled in The New Yorker and The Guardian.
Kean maintains an independent practice emphasizing documented cases, radar data, and official records. She has spoken at conferences including Rice University's Archives of the Impossible and contributed to ongoing UAP media projects into 2025 and 2026.
Where They Are Now
As of October 25, 2026, Leslie Kean continues as an independent investigative journalist based in the United States. She contributes to UAP coverage and documentary production while maintaining her website and public appearances.
Recent activities include participation in 2025–2026 events and reporting on UAP-related media such as the documentary The Age of Disclosure.
Last updated 25 October 2026