Amplifies and legitimizes widespread public fascination with UFOs as evidence of significance and credibility.
The article cites 'unprecedented levels of interest' and '1.7 billion hits worldwide' as proof of importance, using popularity as a proxy for legitimacy without critical examination of the nature of the traffic or audience.
“According to the Pentagon, there have been 'unprecedented levels of interest' in the UFO files, and the Department of War's website has received over 1.7 billion hits worldwide since its launch in May.”
