Welcome to my website
Dr David Clarke is a Principal Lecturer/Reader in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He teaches media law and journalism investigation skills. Before he entered academia he worked as a news reporter for The Sheffield Star and Yorkshire Post and spent four years working as a Press Officer in local government. His Ph.D in Folklore and was completed at the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, University of Sheffield, in 1999. From 2008-13 he acted as consultant and curator of the MoD UFO files project with The National Archives. His books include The Angel of Mons (2004) and How UFOs Conquered the World: the history of a modern myth (2015). In 2016 he became one of the founders of the Centre for Contemporary Legend at Sheffield Hallam University. This blog covers his twin research interests in journalism and folklore. The views expressed in the contents are entirely his own.
What is Folklore?
Once upon a time… ‘Folklore’ meant ancient ballads or fairy tales or the peculiar superstitions and customs of ‘primitive’ peoples. Today folklore is a tool for studying custom and belief, urban legends, modern myth and even rumours spread via the internet. Much folklore can be found online and buried in the narrative content of media and social networking - from legends and reports of ghosts, UFOs and 'big cats' to language, customs and traditions. The study of folklore is centrally and crucially important 'in our attempts to understand our own behaviour and that of our fellow human beings' according to one scholarly definition. Folklore is a vital and ongoing area of study and one of the few academic disciplines that engage, in a fundamental way, with everyday life.My Tweets
- RT @johnharris1969: New #AnywhereButWestminster : last film of the election series. Inside Labour’s defeat, 10 years of party decline in th… 2 days ago
- RT @Emmajourno: @SHUJournalism spoke to @LouHaigh MP for Sheffield Heeley about what the #GeneralElectionResults mean for the Labour Party… 2 days ago
- RT @SHUJournalism: .@LouHaigh gives us her thoughts on the #GeneralElection19. #SheffGE19 https://t.co/BQ42mwgpTf 2 days ago
- RT @richardwnews: Representing @sheffhallamuni and @SHUJournalism at reception with British ambassador @JamesSharpFCO @asapesmedia https://… 2 days ago
- RT @c_waudby: And here's the other half doing it! #ElectionDay #GE2019 #UKElection @shuclarke https://t.co/ILxaatHDDb 3 days ago
Blog Stats
- 645,693 hits
Snopes.com – Rumour has it…
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Magonia Blog
- LEONARDO DECODED December 14, 2019
- LOST TREASURE, LOST PLOT December 9, 2019
- THE POETRY OF WITCHCRAFT December 4, 2019
- HOUSEHOLD INSURANCE November 30, 2019
- A UNIVERSE OF GHOSTS November 23, 2019
Mark Pilkington & John Lundberg – Folklore & Deception in the UFO Age
- Mirage Men in The Guardian August 18, 2014
- Mirage Men Double Disc DVD June 16, 2014
- UFOs and F-14s over Iran May 2, 2014
- We have lift off! March 27, 2014
- Mirage Men revealed by Greenwald? February 25, 2014
Bob Sheaffer’s Bad UFOs
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
The Skeptic magazine
- Ooops! TWO errors in previous message! October 1, 2015
- October Spookiness! October 1, 2015
- Empirical Sex Talk on Dacryphilia, tonight October 1, 2015
- Little Atoms 393 – Timothy Snyder & Black Earth September 30, 2015
- Ash Pryce on "How to talk to the dead" @ Greenwich SitP, 7:30 pm, 7/10/15 September 30, 2015
Charles Fort Institute Blog
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Curt Collins on saucers in pop culture
- The Cash-Landrum UFO Case Document Collection October 3, 2019
- Ufology's Legacy from Loch Ness August 29, 2019
- Documents Released via FOIA on the AATIP UFO Videos August 18, 2019
- Documenting Luis Elizondo's Leadership of the Pentagon's UFO Program June 13, 2019
- The US Government’s Cash-Landrum UFO Investigations, Part Two March 7, 2019
Andrew May’s Forteana blog
- Pseudoscience and Science Fiction October 9, 2016
- Astronomical debunking October 2, 2016
- Contradiction - the All-Video Murder Mystery September 25, 2016
- Sacred Porn September 18, 2016
- Astronomical computers (old ones) September 11, 2016
Paul Kimball’s The Other Side of Truth: Don’t believe, don’t disbelieve. Think
- Synchronicity, Irish Style September 9, 2019
- Project Blue Book - A Review January 28, 2019
- Stan Friedman Retires March 13, 2018
- Halifax gets Haunted! September 29, 2017
- Haunted Extra, Vol. 1.01 - Queen's County Museum Revisited August 17, 2017
Tag Archives: Fortean Times
Hunting the Northern Lights
One of my ambitions has always been to take a voyage beyond the Arctic Circle in search of the elusive aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. For years I have been fascinated by the mythology of the lights and the stories … Continue reading
Angels makes FT Top 40
My investigation of the First World War legend, The Angels of Mons, is among the top ‘all time favourite stories’ chosen by a panel of contributors to Fortean Times magazine. ‘Angels of the Battlefield‘ – published in 2003 – came 4th … Continue reading
Farewell to the Solway Spaceman?
Retired fire fighter Jim Templeton died on 27 November last year. His name will mean little to all but the more ardent students of Forteana and UFOlogy. But the ‘freak’ photograph he took in May 1964 on the Solway Marshes, … Continue reading
Scared to Death
The Fortean Times Unconvention 2011 – billed as the world’s weirdest weekend – returns to London in November. I’m on the bill for both days (12 and 13 November): on the Saturday I will be speaking about my research into … Continue reading