How do you stay open-minded without jumping to conclusions?

Try separating what was observed from what someone thinks it means. “A light moved across the frame” is an observation. “It was a craft from another world” is an explanation, and it needs its own evidence.

For a video, useful basics include the original file, when and where it was recorded, what the camera was pointed at, and whether other independent recordings exist. Missing details don’t prove a hoax, but they limit what you can conclude. A report can be sincere and still leave the cause uncertain.

I’d check ordinary possibilities before reaching for extraordinary ones. Distance, camera movement, reflections, focus, and compression can make an image look very different from the scene itself. That doesn’t mean every unusual clip has an easy explanation. It means the clip needs enough context to rule things in or out.

Also, be wary of reposts that have been cropped or edited. If the original recording and its context aren’t available, it’s reasonable to say the evidence is too limited to tell.

Keep the conclusion proportional to the evidence. A credible witness or an unusual observation may justify more investigation, but it doesn’t establish where something came from. Claims about secret knowledge or official confirmation deserve the same scrutiny as any other claim. Don’t assume an institution has proved something just because people expect an announcement, and don’t assume a claim is false just because it sounds strange.