Re: Glenbrook accident [NSW] (Media behaviour comment)

["Jane Campbell" <janecampbell@optusnet.com.au>]

I can't agree more, I've been saying the same thing since it happened.
Also, they didn't even mention anything about the guard and presumably if
the driver passed a signal at stop, the guard let him do it.  I'm not saying
that they did anything wrong but then why haven't they treated the guard in
the same way?  Who gives them the right to publish all this
information.....it annoys me to the enth degree.

Jane
Matthew Geier <matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au> wrote in message
82eqi9$epr$1@metro.ucc.usyd.edu.au">news:82eqi9$epr$1@metro.ucc.usyd.edu.au...
> Last friday my wife sent email to the SMH complaining about the fact that
they have
> given the Interurban drivers full name, town and street (Thus giving
enough info
> for any one with a Lithgow region phone book to get his number and
address).
>
>  A sub editor rang her back. Basicly said 'its our standard policy to give
streets
> as we dont want some one else with the same name being inadvertantly
affected' and
> gave an example of a name clash over some incident in a Gold Coast night
club where
> another person of the same name (who lived in the same town) complained!.
Then the
> editor said 'whats the problem anyway, we call him a hero'!.
>
>  Given that almost every railway person I know says the poor bastard is
going to get
> blamed as you can't do that sort of damage with 'extreme caution', his
address might
> as well been printed by the Herald. They gave enough information away.
Even if the
> equiry clears him on some systems failure verdict, that wont stop the
crazies from
> taking it out on him personally.
>
>  Not only is this experienced driver going to have to deal with his own
personal
> problems, an offical enquiry and the whole trial by media thing, he will
have no
> choice but to move house to stop every kook who can read a phone book
ringing him
> up, or sending letters and so on.
>
>  The additude of the media amazes me some times.
>
>  Some one recently said the Grandville disaster crew still get the
occasional death
> threat or other unpleasant letters in the mail. How many years are they
going to have
> to hide ?
>