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

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

 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 ?