Award for best jounalism in aviation.

[Dogimed]

Perhaps its time for a awards ceremony..

Named: The Baghdad Bob Best Journo Award in Aviation

Lets get your best aviation reporting quotes from newspapers or TV. Paste on a reply, and we put a poll in at the end of January and let people vote. Once voting is stopped after 1 week, we can send the person a congratulatory letter for their efforts.

Must require Journo name and newspaper/media it was reported in.

Eaxmple from Ugly on the Camden thread.


quoting the Daily Telegraph

"Only the skeleton of this plane survived when it was engulfed by flames after a fuel tank erupted in mid air..."

"The 28 year old pilot was forced to crash land the single engine two seater when the tank in the left wing burst into flames"

Apparently it was an Radio stack fire. A worthy contribution if I do say so.. Ugly? you got the journo's name?

Come on people, lets start shaming them....

Dog

[ugly]

Ugly? you got the journo's name?
Stand by...

[The PM]

the said journo is a lady by the name of Evelyn Yamine

[The Voice]

game over .. the winning loser HAS to be the N.T. News .. doesn't matter how good the story is, their hacks wreck it completely ..

shouldn't be long and something will be postable in support ..

[Atlas Shrugged]

I found this post on another forum:

"A young lady from a major metropolitan newspaper rang me today and asked whether I knew someone she could contact at Sydney Airport to verify a story.

I asked: "What's the story?"

She answered: "A tugboat is supposed to have knocked the engine off a Qantas Airbus."

I said: " A what ???

She said: "A tugboat".

Atlas

[ugly]

I fired off a letter to the editor last night correcting their mistakes.

Guess what?

Someone from the Telegraph just rang - the want to print my letter and needed my details

(oops - now you all will know my real name. Sh!t happens I guess :rolleyes: )

[Islander Jock]

Hey Ugly,
If it (letter) gets published, can you post it here for us?:ok:

[ugly]

The letter was published today, however the editor has cut it down for brevity. Unfortunately some of the points I made were lost :rolleyes:

The original letter was

Dear Sir,
I am writing to you regarding the article that appeared in today's Daily
Telegraph regarding the aircraft accident yesterday at Camden aerodrome. I noticed several points were incorrectly reported and would like to bring these to your attention.

"Only the skeleton of this plane survived when it was engulfed by flames
after a fuel tank erupted in mid air..."

"The 28 year old pilot was forced to crash land the single engine two
seater when the tank in the left wing burst into flames"

Whilst I don't wish to pre-empt the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
report, several witnesses have told me the fire appeared to start in the
aircraft's avionics (radios etc) which forced the pilot to make an
emergency landing at the aerodrome. Had the fire erupted in the fuel
tank - the results would have been probably been much worse, as shown in the TWA Flight 800 accident of 2000. It is believe this Boeing 747 was
destroyed by an in-flight fuel tank explosion.

As there is no fire fighting facilities at Camden aerodrome it took time
for the nearest fire station to attend the scene. Due to this delay and
the fact that the Citabria is a fabric covered aircraft, it was rapidly
consumed by the fire.

The photo on page 2 shows the burnt out wreckage of the aircraft still
resting on its undercarriage, hardly a "crash landing". Unfortunately
it seems that any landing following an inflight incident is termed a
"crash landing" this days, this has the negative consequence of making
aviation look unsafe - which it is not.

I appreciate that it is difficult for a journalist to be knowledgable in
every field that could be covered in news reporting - however incorrect
and confusing statements create a negative perception of General
Aviation to the public, at a time when it is struggling with the effects
of over regulation, burdensome security requirements post Sept 11 and
rising costs.

When reporting on aviation incidents, perhaps you would consider
contacting organisations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (02 9791 9099) who would be able to provide assistance and
help sort the 'wheat from the chaff'.

Thank you for your time.

However, if a journalist contacts somone like AOPA before publishing emotive clap trap on general aviation in future, hopefully some good will come of it.

[onya]

Journos are the lowest common denominator, skidmarks on the toilet bowl of society. If only they knew how little respect we in aviation have for the sensationalist bullsh1t that they compose on any issue to due with our industry. I marvell every time I read an article about aviation in a publication at how little research these self proclaimed 'professionals' (tongue very much so in cheek) have bothered to do. To site an example that is available to all to read. Do a quick search on the utter crap that the Mackay Mercury allowed to go to print after the so called attempted landing of a Qlink 717 on Nebo Road. I mailed the editor and let him have it with both barrels and dared him to put my letter in print. Surprise, surprise, it never made it. I would rather my kids grow up to become gutter sweepers than journos. What a disgraceful position in life.
Onya:yuk:

[ugly]

I thought that position was already taken by the lawyers?

[The Voice]

Onya, Onya .. hear bluddy hear !!!

Ugly .. um .. nup .. gotta disagree with you there ... I don't consider lawyers to be that low down in the pecking order .. I mean they can be useful ..

[Luca_brasi]

Isn't there a Channel 9 (Melb) reporter/presenter who holds a pilot's license or has been involved in aviation in the past??

I think I saw something like this in the Herald Sun's TV Guide earlier this week. Can't remember his name though

[OzExpat]

Well I suppose that we have to be fair to journos as well as foul. Here's the transcript of a story that I've just read.
====================
Pilot, 70, in crash landing

(The Cairns Weekend Post, 10 Jan., 2004 - writer not identified)

An experienced 70-year-old pilot had a lucky escape yesterday when he was forced to make an emergency landing in his ultra-light aircraft on the Tableland.
The pilot made a controlled emergency landing on a property at Belson Road, Upper Barron, near Atherton at about 9am after his aircraft had engine problems.
Acting Mareeba District Officer Inpector Peter Assfalg said the undercarriage and right wing of the aircraft was damaged in the landing.
The man was taken to Atherton Hospital by the Queensland Ambulance Service.
He said it appeared the aircraft's 625cc engine had blown out a spark plug, causing a loud bang and forcing the pilot to take emergency measures.
"He hit hard, but it was a controlled emergency landing", Insp Assfalg said.
The pilot was kept overnight in Atherton Hospital for observation, but suffered only muscular injury from the landing.
Insp Assfalg said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified of the incident but were not investigating.
He said the man was an experienced pilot with more than 500 hours of flying time.
====================
Perhaps the said "70-year-old" owns the newspaper? :}

Okay, that was probably a bit cruel.

The Cairns Post has had its' share of critics over the years and I've been one of them. But I think that they deserve recognition for the way they reported this one, despite some understandable over-simplification of the cause and effect. Hopefully, they'll continue to report accidents and incidents in a similar manner.

Good to know that the elderly pilot is okay. That makes it a good news story as well! :ok:

[compressor stall]

The channel nine news anchor who was a pilot was Brian Naylor. He has not been on TV for many years now.

Even if he was, he is the anchor, not the reporter. He just reads the autocue.

[bush mechanics]

The true bottom dwellers are Real Estate Agents,followed by lawyers then jurnos

[QNIM]

Hang on Guys

What about used car salesmen, they must get a guernsey too. :O

Cheers Q

[Pharcarnell]

A list of the trust level of professions was in the various rags last week. Pilots dont even rate a mention, honourable or otherwise.
Pollsters were mid field though, I wonder why?

[kiwiblue]

Don't believe that just because they happen to hold an aviation document, it will make them better reporters. Does not happen. In NZ take Paul Holmes as a prize example... poor pilot, cr@p reporter, huge ego. Not a sole example either...

As to the awards... whatever happened to the venerable HDOOIF (Highly Derogatory Order Of the Irremovable Finger) awarded for crass stupidity, ignorance and assorted acts deserving (or even in receipt) of the application of Chlorine to the Gene-pool (coolguy, watch this space).

Worth a thought