Jason Hawes Speaks Out: The State of the Paranormal Community and Why It Matters

There comes a point where you have to stop, take a breath, and have an honest conversation — not about what's lurking in a dark hallway, but about what's happening in the community we've all built together. The paranormal field means everything to me, and right now, it needs some real talk. Tonight's livestream was exactly that: a candid, unfiltered discussion about where we are, where we've been, and where we need to go.

I've been doing this for a long time. Since I founded TAPS back in the early '90s, my mission has always been the same — help people, seek the truth, and do it with integrity. That means walking into every location with a skeptic's eye, trying to find the rational explanation before we ever consider a paranormal one. It's a standard I hold myself to, and honestly, it's a standard I believe the entire paranormal community should be striving toward. But lately, some of what I'm seeing out there has been making that harder than it needs to be.

Let's be direct about it: drama has crept into this field in a way that is doing real damage. When people prioritize attention over accuracy, when personal feuds get played out publicly, when evidence gets exaggerated or flat-out fabricated to chase views and followers — it poisons the well for everyone. It makes it harder for serious investigators to be taken seriously. It makes the people who reach out to us for help second-guess whether they can trust anyone. And frankly, it's disrespectful to the history and the hard work that so many of us have put into legitimizing this field over decades. I'm not here to call out names or throw fuel on any fire. That's not my style. But I'm also not going to stay quiet when I see things heading in the wrong direction.

What I talked about tonight is something I feel deeply: we need to get back to the fundamentals. That means approaching every claim with curiosity AND skepticism. It means being willing to say 'I don't know' or 'we couldn't confirm that' — because those answers are just as valuable as the dramatic ones, maybe more so. It means treating the people who invite us into their homes and businesses with respect and care, because for them, this isn't entertainment. It's their lives. The paranormal community grew because people believed in what we were doing. They believed we were honest. The moment we trade that honesty for clout, we've lost everything that made this worth doing in the first place.

I also want to acknowledge the good — because there's plenty of it. There are investigators out there doing exceptional work right now. People who are methodical, compassionate, and genuinely passionate about understanding the unexplained. People who document their methodology, who use proper equipment, who don't jump to conclusions. That community is still alive and well, and it's worth protecting. My hope in having these conversations openly is to rally those people, to remind them that the standard we hold ourselves to matters — not just for us, but for everyone who comes after us. I started TAPS because I wanted to help people who were scared and didn't have answers. That reason hasn't changed. And as long as I'm doing this, I'm going to keep fighting for the version of this field that deserves to exist.

The paranormal field is at a crossroads, and the choices we make right now — as investigators, as content creators, as a community — are going to shape its credibility for years to come. I'll always choose integrity over drama, honesty over hype, and real answers over a good story. That's not changing.