Robert Sheaffer

Robert Sheaffer
Robert Sheaffer at home in January 2012
Born	1949 (age 67–68) Chicago, Illinois
Occupation	Freelance writer, skeptic, author, investigator
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Notable works	UFO Sightings: The Evidence; Psychic Vibrations: Skeptical Giggles from the Skeptical Inquirer
Website
http://debunker.com http://badufos.blogspot.com/

Robert Sheaffer (born 1949) is an American freelance writer and skeptic. He is a paranormal investigator of unidentified flying objects, having researched many sightings and written critiques of the hypothesis that UFOs are alien spacecraft. In addition to UFOs, his writings cover topics such as Christianity, academic feminism, the scientific theory of evolution, and creationism. He is the author of five books.

Sheaffer writes for Skeptical Inquirer (where he contributes the regular "Psychic Vibrations" column), Fate Magazine, and Spaceflight. He was a founding member (with Philip J. Klass and James Oberg) of the UFO Subcommittee of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and is a fellow of that organization. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a member of Mensa.

Sheaffer has frequently been quoted in the news media regarding UFOs and psychic predictions.

On July 7, 2010 a flight crew preparing to land in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Airport in China reported an UFO. As a precaution 18 flights were "delayed or redirected". Sheaffer's article in Skeptical Inquirer magazine's November/December 2010 issue is a discussion of how photographs and videos are used. "Reporters want an exciting story, and UFOlogists want to win converts. They will typically grab onto any photo or video that is supposed to represent the object and report as fact practically any claim that is made regardless of its source or veracity." In the case of the Xiaoshan Airport, most of the footage shown was actually taken a year previous to the July 2010 incident.