Ralph Blumenthal is an investigative journalist and author who spent 45 years as a staff reporter for The New York Times (1964-2009). His career at the Times spanned crime reporting, cultural coverage, and investigative journalism. After retiring from the Times, he continued freelance investigative work, including coverage of UAP-related developments.

Blumenthal was one of three co-authors, alongside Helene Cooper and Leslie Kean, of the December 16, 2017 New York Times article that revealed the existence of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). The article disclosed $22 million in program funding and published the first Pentagon UAP videos. Blumenthal brought decades of investigative journalism experience to the reporting team.

In June 2023, Blumenthal and Kean co-authored the story in The Debrief that first reported David Grusch's claims about a secret UAP retrieval program. This reporting preceded Grusch's July 2023 congressional testimony. Blumenthal has also authored "The Believer" (2021), a biography of Harvard psychiatrist John Mack and his research into alleged alien encounters.