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What the paranormal productions have most in common is a paranoid distrust of government, nasa officials, legitimate scientists and, in general, the Establishment. All these institutions and groups, in the opinion of many of the paranormalists, are engaged in vast cover-ups, keeping the public ignorant about the aliens who pilot UFOS, kidnap humans and create structures and monuments on Mars and the moon. "We make a lot of hay about the idea that there is a mistrust of government," admits Chris Carter, executive producer of The X-Files. "One of our mantras on The X-Files is 'trust no one.' I'm trying to entertain people in paranoid times."
Though producers treat these shows as mere entertainment, many viewers do not. A study involving 187 students conducted by communication professor Glenn Sparks of Purdue University found that exposure to such programs heightened belief in the paranormal. And when that exposure is constant, says University of Oregon psychologist Ray Hyman, each new repetition of a paranormal tale, even when related with a skeptical tone, "makes it more and more believable." Scientists are worried, too, that the proliferation of paranormal TV is contributing to the public's scientific illiteracy, which they regard as a national liability in a high-tech age. "If you are awash in lost continents and channeling and ufos," says astronomer Carl Sagan, "you may not have intellectual room for the findings of science."
Yet producers and hosts of the new batch of shows seem unconcerned about any negative impact of their efforts. When Miller was hired as host of The Other Side, he recalls, "I made a deal with them. I said, 'You keep any sleazy stuff out, and I'll do all the weird stuff you want.'" Miller has obviously kept his end of the bargain. --With reporting by Hunter Whitney/Los Angeles and Lawrence Mondi/New York