What is it with the press..?

[JB007]

Apparantly a reporter from that delightful rag The Daily Mail decided to prove how bad security is...

He managed to get himself airside @ STN, inside the FLS diamond hanger and was able to take some photographs of an A/c on maint.

Has this guy really got nothing better to do...I kind of understand he proved his point but he's not really helping anybody. http://www.stopstart.btinternet.co.uk/sm/moon.gif

[Eff Oh]

I agree! Are they just trying to smash the confidence of the UK traveller?? When the rest of the world is trying to encourage the public to fly, this piece of crap excuse for a "news"paper, is trying to stop them!!!!!!
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/nono.gif
There is plenty of other news in the world for them to report on, why stoop to new lows, even for them!!??
Eff Oh. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[LabyrinthMan]

What's worse is that an FLS employee tipped off the paper, and probably gave them inside information on how to get in and around the site.

Whatever issues he had with his employer, this is an irresponsible way to address them. He hurts everyone else in the process.

Finding a way to improve security without involving the media, and potentially damaging an airline, an engineering company and an entire airport in the process is un-believeable.

:eek:

[Flapskew]

UK press seem intent on giving our industry a bashing. Such a shame. Lets have some good news stories and inspire confidence again.

Heard on radio this am, ABTA conference in Lisbon reports that their forecasts for next year will only be down by 3-5%. There may be light at the end of the tunnel :)

[tilii]

Goodness me, gentlemen, are you really so prejudiced that you fail to see the significance of what this reporter has done?

He has responded to a whistleblower who has, presumably for very good reasons, reported a potential breach of aviation security. He has established that the reported breach exists (by seeking to test it) and has now brought it to public attention.

This is precisely what a professional journalist ought to do.

Surely you can see that it is in the best interests of all but the terrorist that such lax security is quickly exposed. It is also in the best interests of professional aviators, is it not?

Come on, give the guy a break. He was doing his job and, IMHO, doing it very well indeed. That he causes some embarrassment at FLS, GO, or the airport authority is a small price to pay for correction of such a potentially disastrous oversight.

[captainkilner]

Come off it guy's , better a reporter than a terrorist surely ? and since then security has been tightened so surely it's a good thing ? :) :)

[Eff Oh]

No tilli, I do not agree! This FLS employee should have reported any security lapse to security @ STN! Not the Mirror! A jounalist is supposed to report the news, not make it!
BTW I am not jouno bashing! My girlfriend's father is one, and a bloody good one at that!
Eff Oh.

[1.3VStall]

FO,

You are spot on. The Mirror is highly irresponsible in publishing this story at a time when our industry is in such dire straits. What effect will this now have on public confidence in air travel, just at a time when there were signs of a small recovery?

Of course the FLS employee should have reported his security concerns through official channels. That he chose to expose failings through a tabloid rag like the Mirror reflects badly on aviation as a whole and marks him down as a total t*sser.

[LabyrinthMan]

Don't delude yourselves on what the MOTIVE of the Mirror was and is: to sell more papers than the Sun. They don't really care. The ends justify the means. Give me a break.

[TACAN]

Errrrm, Sorry to butt in but I think the rag in question ( JB's original post ) was the Daily Mail not the Mirror
- not that it makes much difference these days does it ?? :p

TACCY

[ 02 November 2001: Message edited by: TACAN ]

[tilii]

Motives aside, the fact that the problem was exposed in this way will inevitably have a profound effect on security measures across the whole of the UK.

I venture to suggest that, had the whistleblower merely reported the problem to security at STN, then only the security at STN would have been improved.

[le loup garou]

I tend to agree with tilii, it is important that breaches in security come to people attention. If the employee had gone to his company about the lax security there is nothing to say that it would not have been brushed under the carpet.

If you had not noticed gentlemen there is a war going on at the moment, and it is a good thing that people are concerned enough to try to speak out. This guy/girl who went to the papers may just have saved some lives, risking their job at the same time. Being one of the people that is about to lose their jobs due to Sept 11th I do feel quite strongly about the presses sensationalist stories but on this occasion I cant see that the person would have been able to do much else. Seeing as security had already been stepped up and this had not been addressed tells the story itself.

The response from this reminds me when those pilots got caught drinking within eight hours by Channel Four. People then were saying how out of line the reporter was doing a sneaky thing like that. :rolleyes:

[TACAN]

Just been a report on Radio 2 news re-journo and photog gaining access into cockpit of a GO 737 at STN. They were from the Mirror and
when interviewed, the journo was quite voluble about lack of security etc.. and how easy it was to gain access. Definately not what we want to hear in these times - hope the loopholes have now been plugged and the sec.people at other sites take note.

TACCY

[JB007]

Apologies..I was told it was The Daily Mail...sorry!

And The Mirror is even more of a rag!!!!

[Desk Driver]

Yes I agree that better a Jurno than a Terroist.

BUT,

Since Sept 11 these guys have been actively sniffing out these stories just to sell more papers not to protect the public. As for the FLS employee well what's the chances that they have been financialy rewarded for their actions?

and another thing!

Watchdog were at it again last night asking why all airlines don't remove seats to give better pitch and avoid DVT. Which may be a fair comment, but six months down the line they would be asking why fares have risen 25% and are the airlines profeering?

I know of a study that will monitor all of Watchdog's "so called" recomendations to airlines and Tour ops over a 12 month period. They will then tot up what these will cost and what the minimum fare / Holiday cost will be to stay in business and follow every recommendation. I guess everything will go up at least 100% and I look forward to seeing that programme discredited. It used to be good but now it's turned it's self in to some sort of entertainment program aimed at knocking any & every industry possible. How many more times will they have to make an appology for not being fair?


:mad: :mad: :mad:

[morroccomole]

Goin back to JB 007's original post. We have already confirmed it was the mirror, not mail, and fyi, it was hangar 4 not diamond.
H4 security is the responsibilty of FLS not BAA. 1 man sitting by a tea machine. If he is not there you just walk in.

[pelican larry]

Confidence in air travel will be re-established once REAL security in all its aspects becomes the number one priority in the business. The press just does its job, some better than others. Besides ,what do you think the internet and PPrune are but a new (and welcomed ) member of the media ??? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[sitting comfortably]

The hanger is not airside, hence security doesn't need to be to the same standard. They search vehicles which drive airside from "outside", so the same happens to a/c.

What problem?

[HugMonster]

It was exactly the same for the Air Kilroe hangar @ MAN, which is landside.

A/c comes out of the hangar, and before going airside, gets a very thorough security check. Throw any lurking journos out (having removed the bottle of gin they've nicked) and carry on.