There goes my cover ---this shiny new BB (nice) has taken to reporting my login instead of the worthy alias:
Call me Systemsguy (post-edit)
------------------MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Let's head this thing for the high ground, guys and gals! (or at least for a flat spot...)
I propose that we of the Pprune community establish an ongoing competition for the "Howitzer Prize in Journalism", which periodically and noisily memorializes the aviation press stories that most resemble "shooting a mouse with a cannon".
Not only does this give a constructive vent for the heat that stupid, inacurate, overblown and deceptive reporting deservedly attracts from the professional aviation community, it also creates an open-ended megaphone for giving back in kind.
By issuing a press release now and then with our democratically (har) arrived-at list of the 10 (or whatever) most irresponsible aviation news stories of the year, the existence of the Pprune Howitzer will promote more evenhanded print discussion of these topics and may just bring a little heat to bear on the pulp personalities who thus disgrace themselves in regard to the standards of 'professional journalists'.
On the theory that "some papers will print just about anything", the PPHA should be able to garner enough ink that the word gets out - in a manner that brings deserved credit to aviation and appropriate shame to those perfidious scribes who deliberately get things wrong for personal gain.
Like a well-placed flea, a pro-active press channel doesn't have to be a very big thing to have quite a pronounced effect. If more than three folks feel this would be constructive, and if Capt. P does not object, I will volunteer to do some grunt work to actually get the process lit & encourage others to participate. As a one-time editor and publisher, I know a bit about how and where things are in that swamp; as an aviator since roughly puberty, I would be happy to help level the field a bit.
Last edited by arcniz; 3rd April 2002 at 19:29.