Inaccurate journalism doesn't help!

[redfield]

On Wednesday 27th September the SN2189 operated by RJ100 OO-DWB ran off the runway after landing at Newcastle. The following aircraft, an Air Scandic (leased from Finnair) B757 was told to overshoot. One local newspaper's reporting of this included comments as follows:

"HOLIDAY JET IN TERRIFYING NEAR MISS"
The pilot of an Air Scandic Boeing 757 was forced to abort his landing only 200 yards from touchdown......the pilot was only a few seconds from landing when he spotted the stranded plane.....he was forced to bank sharply"

Such comments suggest that the article was written by someone who thinks that ATC forgot to tell Scandic that the runway was blocked! My point is this: surely such inaccurate and irresponsible journalism is the last thing that our already battered aviation industry needs at this time? What do you think? :confused:

[Father Dougal]

Yep, I for one am sick to death of hearing about "Passenger Jet Horror" every time one goes/gets sent around! Especially in the current climate, such sensationalist and inaccurate reporting is doing no-one any favours. Reporters - get real!! :(

[Jackonicko]

Treat journos with contempt instead of with patience and understanding and this is the kind of drivel that get's written. Be a bit more helpful, support the specialist aviation press by buying Flight and Av Week (rather than whining about them) and maybe aviation would be treated more seriously, aviation correspondents would feel they were not in an unimportant backwater, aviation stories (and accuracy, and quality) would be accorded a higher priority, and aviation coverage in the general press might be better.

You get the coverage you deserve, gents.

[A and C]

In which rag was the report above printed ?.

[le loup garou]

I would love to know where they get their information from. journo's have been getting aviation related articles wrong for years.

Unfortunatly there is nothing anyone can do about it as "Aeroplane does a go-around at NCL" doesn't sell papers. I agree that especially now it is in rather bad taste.

[HOVIS]

This is what journalists write about a subject that we understand and have the greatest of knowledge.
What drivel are we being fed in the rest of the news?

Do us all a favour, stop buying "news papers" until they start printing facts based on conclusive evidence, not made up on the spot to meet a publishing deadline.
:mad:

[ 30 September 2001: Message edited by: HOVIS ]

[overstress]

I wonder if the headline:

"Coach Driver changes lane to avoid brakdown on hard shoulder" would have had the same impact - when we all know it's the same difference

[Go-arounder]

'Journal' - Newcastle based local rag, very happy to take money for adverts from airlines but loves to deal out "sensational rubbish" about nothing.
It hasn't got a aviation correspondent-how did you guess!! :confused:
What about "Air Traffic Controller does his/her job correctly, aircraft sent around full stop" Its getting to the point where we have to fill paper work out not for safety or CAA - but just in case the Journal puts you on the front page!

[TicketyBoo]

Be Fair Chaps!

I've learned an awful lot more about flying through the newspapers this last couple of weeks than I ever learned through flying training or diligent study. I was particularly impressed by the "Daily Mail's" advice to "increase speed by pulling the throttle backwards" and hope to try out this novel technique very soon!!!

TicketyBoo.

[B747wideboy]

Is there any other kind of journalism when it comes to our business?

My favourite recent one was on page two of The Times a couple of months ago. I honestly expected to see it in "Straight and Level" but they must have missed it. It went something like;

"...the four American-built C17 aircraft, each the length of three football pitches..."

[ 27 September 2001: Message edited by: B747wideboy ]

[Scimitar]

Jackonicko

Why on earth should I now go out and buy Flight? The quality of Air Transport reporting has declined steadily over the last few years, and it's not whining, it's fact! Subscribing to Flight again will simply make me poorer - it won't make Flight any more professional!
Aviation reporting in the UK has been abysmal for as long as I've been flying (which is over 40 years) simply because they can only create a story by scare-mongering. A go-around will always be just that, a go-around, but to any reporter trying to earn his crust it's the closest thing to a disaster imaginable. One of my colleagues lost his job as a very well respected Britannia training captain by doing an orbit during a ferry flight at about 3000 feet over Congleton with ATC's approval. Some reporter for the Daily Mail managed to persuade enough old women on the ground to cry in unison "I thought the aeroplane was going to crash" until the company finally gave in to pressure from the press and fired him for bringing the company into disrepute.

There must be a few hacks out there who would prefer to put together an honest account, a story based on fact, but your credibility is ruined by the majority of your profession who are quite simply the lowest of the low.

[Budgie69]

NUDE VICAR IN SEX/DRUGS ORGY.

Passengers screamed in horror when the plane dropped ten thousand feet in an air pocket. Mrs. Aida Longbottom said "I almost spilled my drink. The pilot was marvellous - I'm sure we were seconds away from disaster".

Bare Breasts

Tracy Wigglesworth, 20, said "I almost broke my bra strap, and as you can see I really need the support".

Free Drinks

A Scruggs Airways spokesperson said "Some mild turbulence was experienced just after take off. One passenger who claimed he had never flown before became a little upset, but it may just have been a method of getting free drinks".

[fen boy]

Jackonico - totally agree that you must keep journo's informed (that's my job) however in this case I have to say that the journos were given the full facts of the situation - as laid out in the first post here - told it was not a safety issue and had the whole scenario explained to them. Then we still get the story that appeared!!! I have to say that after 12 years doing this job the standard of mainstream reporting is worse now than ever. The only exception to this rule would be the specialist media and most of the national transport correspondents.

[Konkordski]

Gentlemen, before this descends into an undignified anti-journalist thread, could I draw your attention to the following website:
www.cpj.org (http://www.cpj.org)

There are, I agree, plenty of so-called journalists around who are inept and give the profession a bad name. But the above site will, I hope, remind you that there is a substantial number of unsung men and women literally dying to defend the freedom to bring you facts, not fiction, whose efforts are seldom acknowledged and appreciated.

There is a thin line between courage and foolishness. Not all journalists are walking on the wrong side.

[A and C]

I think if i was the captain of the aircraft in question i would threten to see the paper in court for damaging my reputation......i dont think it would happen but it would be nice to see this rag on the sharp end of a leagal action.

The people i feel sorry for are the people who get on to aircraft to go on holiday reluctently because they read this sort of crap and because they have no other contact with aviation think it is true.

I am sure that fear of flying + booze = air rage but thats another story !.

[DoctorA300]

I don´t think filing a lawsuit againt a newspaper would have much effect, they generally have a quite substantial legal budget, especially the rag mags. But if the airlines where to stop advertizing in them or provide them free of charge to the SLF, and the affected Personnel filed legal actions against the editor PERSONALLY, then maybe just maybe.
Brgds
Doc

[Heliport]

Jacknicko
On such occasions, you understandably and inevitably claim that irresponsible journalists like this one are the exception.
That's just not true.
The Press just love aviation scare stories and 'exposes'.

Press coverage after the Concorde crash?
Criticism of BA for not grounding their fleet when the French did?
Claims that Concorde was a death-trap?
AND now,
the Press whipping up, or trying to whip up, a fear of flying since the recent atrocities against the West.
The Press has no concern about the consequences of what they do, as long as they achieve their commercial objective of selling papers.

[BIG E]

Unfortunately both the journal and the sister
paper evening chronicle have a habit of sensationalising non events,many a time i have found myself shaking my had a la jim royle.Take the greek 737 go around last month
whos name i forget.The capt advised pax he was going around to try the other runway.MRS
Floppyflaps from byker who was interviewed expressed her concern at the capts competence as 'newcastle only had one runway'!
The Daily Mail is another culprit.

[CoodaShooda]

While the standard of reporting in the "popular press" is abysmal in most areas, don't assume that the reading public are necessarily taken in.
Our only daily rag recently printed a prominent apology, including photos, when the previous day's edition had mixed up captions for the F15 and F16.
The editor apparently received over 2000 complaints by phone, fax and e-mail - from a circulation of 35,000. Not a bad ratio of airminded readers p***ed off enough to voice their opinion.
:D

[sirwa69]

There's the answer then. Pass the message around Pprune that any piece of sensationalistic reporting should be posted along with the e-mail and fax number of the rag involved. Then we all bombard the editor with corrections and complaints and I am pretty sure they will get the message. ;)