Unfair Reporting on MAS Flight MH136!!!

Articles on MAS and BN seem to have a common thread.

Many writers/websites are ever ready to portray a negative picture of both. There is a subtle reluctance to report FULLY and FAIRLY to give FULL details. Is there a hidden agenda to paint MAS negatively?

Recently, flight MH136 was asked to stop its takeoff from Adelaide because another jet was heading in the direction of MH136. Local media painted a totally different picture of the scenario. MH was NOT at fault BUT headlines from various media painted a different picture. Most did not mention the OTHER airline.

WHY?

Australian media (except for one) gave a very fair report about the incident and mentioned the other airline. They also mentioned reports on 'near-miss' were inaccurate and identified who was the one that created the problem (certainly NOT MAS!!). Two other international media gave unfair reports. Why?

Here's a summary of various local and international media. Please compare for yourself.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

1. The Australian: CLICK HERE
Headline: Malaysia Airlines takeoff aborted to avoid Tigerair plane landing at Adelaide Airport
Reason given:The incoming Tigerair flight from Melbourne was approaching too high and fast, meaning it had to make a second attempt at landing...It said the pilot of the incoming flight requested a routine “go-around” due to an unstable approach.

2. The Aviation Herald: CLICK HERE

Headline: Incident: Malaysia A333 at Adelaide on Jul 29th 2014, rejected takeoff
Details: Tower apologized that a Tiger Airways Airbus A320 on approach had been too high and too fast on approach and went around, tower wanted to make sure the A330 didn't climb underneath the go-around and explained that takeoff clearance occurred when the A320 was about 5nm out, sufficient space for the departure, but was still maintaining 200 knots. According to radar data a Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200, registration VH-VNC performing flight TT-449 from Melbourne,VI to Adelaide,SA (Australia), was on a 6nm final to runway 05 descending through 2300 feet MSL at 170 knots over ground, the aircraft went around from below 1250 feet MSL. The aircraft landed safely on its second approach to runway 05 about 12 minutes later.

Kudos to The Aviation Herald on good reporting.
Kudos to its readers who gave fair and relevant comments.

One reader said: Much better than the local Murdoch media reporting in Australia on the incident. Spun as another incident for the "beleaguered Malaysian Airlines" 

Another reader wrote:  So essentially a non-event.. I'm thankful for this website everytime I read the fact based story and not just some cheap journalism provided by monkeys!

One other good comment from its reader: Thanks Simon.Your report gave a better and precise situation. The local media only gave a motherhood statement that the take off was aborted.Thanks again.

3. The Daily Star (UK): CLICK HERE
A very damning headline that is NOT true : Malaysia Airlines flight forced to abort take-off after risking deadly collision
Subheadline:A MALAYSIA Airlines plane was forced to dramatically abort a take-off as it was on a collision course with another jet.
The report only gave three sentences about MH136 without mentioning Tiger Air. The remaining part of the report was about MH17 and MH370.

4. Straits Times (Singapore): CLICK HERE
Headline: MAS flight MH136 stops takeoff to avoid crashing into jet
Details: It was a rewrite of NST report and DID NOT mention the other airline!

LOCAL MEDIA

1. New Straits Times report AT THIS LINK.

• Headline: MH136 discontinues take-off as another flight obstructs path
• The report was based on a MAS press statement.
• No details about the other flight AT ALL.
• Is this responsible reporting?

2. The Malaysian Insider report on MH 136: CLICK HERE

• Headline: MAS Flight MH136 stops takeoff to avoid crashing into jet. Such a headline can be perceived as negative for MAS prestige
• Report: This report was BASED ON NST report. Clearly, the writer of TMI did not bother to do his/her own investigations to unravel more details but just rewrote details taken from NST.
• The other airline was not mentioned.
• Is this responsible reporting?

3. The Sun report on MH136: CLICK HERE

Headline: MAS flight aborts take-off
The report was based on MAS press statement.
The other airline was NOT mentioned.

4. The following news portals have not posted any report on MH136 as at 9.50a.m. 31st July. The urls given are for the search boxes in each site:

The Star

Malaysiakini

Free Malaysia Today

The Ant Daily

FZ
The Rakyat Post
The Malay Mail

Clearly, there are some in the print media who are EVEr READY TO DEMONISE MAS...the same way local media pounce on every single opportunity to do the same to BN!!

Fair???

Our government and/or MAS must voice their objection and ask them to set the record straight.

How can any media just write a report based on a press statement and/or NST report WITHOUT doing further investigations?

Ethical?

Responsible?

Is this a silent farewell to journalistic principles or ethics?

Don't Blame MAS, says Dr Mahathir

PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday suggested that Boeing and the Central Intelligence Agency should be questioned over the missing Flight MH370.

"Someone is hiding something. It is not fair that Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and Malaysia should take the blame," he said in his blog Chedet.cc.

In his 11-paragraph long post, Mahathir expressed his viewpoints and theories on the situation and stressed that something was out of place and that the media would not post anything about Boeing or CIA.

"They can land safely or they may crash, but airplanes do not just disappear. Certainly not these days with all the powerful communication systems which operate almost indefinitely and possess huge storage capacities,” Mahathir said.

Stating that he believes the tracking system on the plane was intentionally disabled, Mahathir questioned on where was the data of the plane, which was supposed to have been recorded by the satellite.

"MH370 is a Boeing 777 aircraft. It was built and equipped by Boeing, hence all the communications and GPS equipment must have been installed by Boeing.

"If they failed or have been disabled, Boeing must know how it can be done and surely Boeing would ensure that they cannot be easily disabled as they are vital to the safety and operation of the plane," he said.

He added that in 2006, Boeing received a US patent for a system that, once activated, removes all control from pilots to automatically return a commercial airliner to a pre-determined landing location.

He cited Flightglobal.com article by John Croft dated Dec 1, 2006, stating that the ‘uninterruptible’ autopilot would be activated – either by pilots, on board sensors or even by radio or satellite links by government agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency, if terrorists attempt to gain control of the flight deck.

"Clearly Boeing and certain agencies have the capacity to take over 'uninterruptible control' of commercial airliners of which MH370 is one," he said.

Mahathir said attempts to detect the plane by looking for debris and oil slick was a waste of money, adding that this was not an ordinary crash and that the plane was  somewhere, maybe without MAS’ markings.

"Boeing should explain about this so-called anti-terrorism auto-land system.

"I cannot imagine the pilots made a soft-landing in rough seas and then quietly drown with the aircraft," he added.

The Star

File for Bankruptcy!

Here's an article from Singapore Business Times asking MAS to file for bankruptcy to allow the airline to take off.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) is in dire straits. The ailing carrier announced a massive RM1.2 billion (S$461.7 million) loss for its 2013 financial year on Tuesday.

For the financial year ended Dec 31, 2013, the airline's loss more than doubled to RM1.15 billion, from RM424.8 million in the previous period. Revenue, however, rose more than 9 per cent to RM15.12 billion from the RM13.75 billion previously.

And although the airline's management hopes to turn it around this year, no one else shares that optimism.
Hong Leong Bank, for instance, predicted gloomily that the airline would continue to post losses in 2014 (an estimated RM891 million) and 2015 (an estimated RM490 million).

A subscription is needed to read the whole article HERE.

The Malay Mail also carried a write up based on this article.

READ IT HERE.