Billy Cox

Career & De Void Blog

Billy Cox is a veteran journalist and one of the few mainstream media reporters covering UFO and UAP phenomena with rigorous, evidence-based skepticism. Since 2007, he has maintained De Void — a blog on the Sarasota Herald-Tribune website that bills itself as "the mainstream media's lonely UFO web log." De Void covers UFO sightings, scientific research, government programs, congressional hearings, and critical analysis of media coverage.

Cox transitioned from traditional newspaper journalism to independent UFO investigation, combining decades of reporting experience with genuine investigative rigor. Rather than dismissing credible witnesses—military officers, pilots, intelligence officials—he treats their testimony as data worthy of serious examination. His approach has made De Void a touchstone for serious UFO research during the disclosure era.

Personal Sighting (1979)

Cox's interest in UFOs crystallized on a March 1979 night in Cocoa Beach, Florida, when he witnessed a unexplained phenomenon while walking the shoreline with his girlfriend Terry and friend Steve. The witnesses observed three red triangular array lights forming a formation darker than the surrounding sky—either very large or extremely close. The object moved parallel to shore in silence, but emitted a sound described as resembling a tuning fork. This formative encounter planted the seed for Cox's later investigations.

UAP Disclosure Coverage

In the post-2017 disclosure era, Cox has reported extensively on major UAP developments: Luis Elizondo's departure from the Pentagon and founding of To the Stars Academy, the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP), Pentagon whistleblowers, and U.S. congressional hearings on UAP. His journalism combines document analysis, expert interviews, and careful evidentiary reasoning.

Cox has expressed measured skepticism about government transparency on UAP, having documented decades of secrecy, classification, and official denial. He maintains that meaningful progress requires both serious scientific investigation and freedom of information—neither of which governments have consistently provided.

Stance & Influence

Cox occupies a rare role: a mainstream newspaper journalist treating UAP as a legitimate beat worthy of professional investigation. His work reaches beyond UFO enthusiast communities, lending credibility to the field in traditional media. He has appeared on Coast to Coast AM and maintains an active social media presence documenting ongoing UAP developments. His contribution has been anchoring UFO research in journalistic standards—corroboration, source verification, public documents—rather than speculation or sensationalism.