Dear Miss Flying Bird.
I have been on the front page of the Telegraph in a fanciful report of a non-event that became "Jet Crash survivors Given Valium Jabs" after a mere engine failure and text-book landing. 17 short paragraphs, if I remember correctly, but you needed to get to the 9th before you had a paragraph without an incorrect fact in it.
Is your name Je**** Ja****?
As I see it.....
Pilot makes mistake - people die - journalist prints error ridden story and makes money
Journalist makes mistake - pilot gets defamed - journalist MIGHT have to print retraction on page 99 in tiny print.
Not a level playing field and there are insufficient checks on the skill and honour of journalists, unlike pilots.
Reading the previous posts, I had an idea (not too experienced in journalism etc) but wouldn't it be interesting to make a story out of the difference in the journo reports that come from accidents and the actual events?