Letter to the Editor of The Australian
I am writing to express my concern regarding the manner in which The Australian journalist Ean Higgins continues to inaccurately report on the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 – in particular I am concerned at the negative impact this inaccurate reporting is having on the knowledge of the search by the families of those on board the aircraft.
A story on ABC’s 7.30 program (7 March 2017) and an article on the ABC news website, “Air safety watchdog clearly failing”, contains inaccurate and misleading claims that require correction.
Firstly, the reports quote Mr Neil Hansford as saying:
"Until a case is resolved, there can be no remedial action taken by the relevant authorities, CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) or the Department of Transport or even private airport operators."
On 17 April 2017, The Australian published an article, “ATSB shuts down details on MH370 search” by Ean Higgins. That article contained misrepresentations.
Mr Higgins stated that “(the) Australian Transport Safety Bureau has invoked draconian legislation in refusing to release material about its search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, warning that any bureau employee who provides such information to the public or a court could face two years in jail.”
The ATSB did not issue any such warning.
It has been reported by the ABC and news.com.au that the purpose of the First Principles Review meeting in Canberra on 2-4 November 2016 is for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to seek additional funding from the Australian Government to extend the search for MH370.
This is not correct.
An article, Inquiry into MH370 to probe ‘years of wasted effort’ by Byron Bailey which appeared in The Australian on 8 September 2016 contains inaccuracies that require correction and clarification.
Firstly, the article says that “the Australian Transport Safety Bureau decided on an unresponsive pilot scenario…”
An article published in The Australian today by Byron Bailey in relation to the search for MH370 contains inaccurate information and false assertions. In the interests of providing a transparent and accurate account, the ATSB considers it necessary to correct the record.
An article published in The Australian by Mr Ean Higgins on 12 August 2016 falsely accuses the ATSB of ‘secretly retracting’ information from a Joint Agency Coordination Centre operations update on 27 July.
The article by Martin Aubury, ‘Luck stops an air disaster waiting to happen’, published in several Fairfax publications on 11 July 2016 contains factual errors and misunderstandings. In the interests of ensuring truth and transparency, the ATSB considers it necessary to correct the record. In the article, Mr Aubury cites the ATSB’s on-going investigation into an in-flight pitch disconnect involving a Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA) ATR 72 aircraft while descending into Sydney, NSW on 20 February 2014.
Recent articles suggesting that sonar images gathered during the underwater search for MH370 could be aircraft debris are incorrect.
The sonar contacts mentioned in the articles are old ones that were already assessed and discounted months ago.
An article, The Case for Pilot Hijack by Byron Bailey, appearing in the 9-10 January 2016 edition of The Weekend Australian, contained significant inaccuracies and misunderstandings about the ATSB’s role in the search for MH370. Many of those inaccuracies were repeated in subsequent items both in The Australian and other media outlets. It is important that the ATSB corrects the record.
