Originally Posted by You want to go where?

I am not wholly in disagreement with the SF fire chief as some of you are. While I agree that I would like to see it made clear that enough attention is being paid to understanding and preventing a recurrence of the events that followed the Asiana crash, I don't think it is appropriate to be releasing video of the incident to the media. As a plane passenger who may be injured, I am entitled to a certain level of privacy. Given the lurid nature and total lack of ethical values that many of today's media demonstrate, I can't criticize government officials for trying to rein in an employee who want to cash in on the crash of the moment, either in financial terms or notoriety.

However, at the same time, I would want the information contained in those videos to get into the hands of independent investigators and any plaintiffs for whom the videos would be documentary evidence of malfeasance. In the end, I find myself somewhat conflicted as to the appropriate course of action in a general sense. inthis specific case, the release of the information was probably called for given the duck and cover approach of SFFD.

Originally Posted by You want to go where?

As a plane passenger who may be injured, I am entitled to a certain level of privacy.

Originally Posted by You want to go where?

I am not wholly in disagreement with the SF fire chief as some of you are. While I agree that I would like to see it made clear that enough attention is being paid to understanding and preventing a recurrence of the events that followed the Asiana crash, I don't think it is appropriate to be releasing video of the incident to the media. As a plane passenger who may be injured, I am entitled to a certain level of privacy. Given the lurid nature and total lack of ethical values that many of today's media demonstrate, I can't criticize government officials for trying to rein in an employee who want to cash in on the crash of the moment, either in financial terms or notoriety.

However, at the same time, I would want the information contained in those videos to get into the hands of independent investigators and any plaintiffs for whom the videos would be documentary evidence of malfeasance. In the end, I find myself somewhat conflicted as to the appropriate course of action in a general sense. inthis specific case, the release of the information was probably called for given the duck and cover approach of SFFD.

Originally Posted by Always Flyin

If you are in a location open to the public, you have no legitimate expectation of privacy.

Airplane seats are sold to the public. You have no reasonable expectation of privacy on an airplane or at an airport.

Once in a hospital, however, I would agree with you since the public cannot buy a ticket to enter the emergency room where you are being treated.

If you want privacy, stay home with your window blinds closed.

Originally Posted by You want to go where?

Legally, you are of course, correct. However, I don't think that taxpayer funded cameras should be used to record the event and then passed on to the media either by the government or by their employees. If a private individual does the recording, c'est la vie. I see no reason to pay taxes to fund the public's prurient need for gore. I do not have a problem with recordings being provided to independent agencies serving in oversight functions.

I certainly can have an expectation that the government is not functioning as an arm of FOX news.

Originally Posted by You want to go where?

I don't think it is appropriate to be releasing video of the incident to the media.

Originally Posted by You want to go where?

As a plane passenger who may be injured, I am entitled to a certain level of privacy.

Originally Posted by Boraxo

Wow this thread is still running strong

I think the UPS flight crash is a red herring. Nobody I know flies on UPS planes. So public does not really care except sympathy for survivors because no chance that public will be on a UPS plane. I do think UPS has a bad corporate culture that tolerates safety gaps (look at the injury stats for workers) and horrible customer service for package receipients, but that's another matter for another thread.

As for Asiana, when your plane crashes people want answers. They want to know "why" as that has a bearing on their decision to fly Asiana, fly Boeing 777s or to fly into SFO. In this case it was crystal clear within a day that pilot error was the primary cause. Which in turn leads to the question of whether there are larger factors at play (training, cultural, etc.) or just a one-off mistake. Fair questions.

Originally Posted by Always Flyin

When a commercial airliner crashes, the public should be as concerned if it is a passenger carrier or a cargo carrier since they are maintained and operated to the same standards. Many passenger airlines even operate a separate fleet of the same aircraft type as cargo planes as they fly as passenger aircraft.

We need to understand why every commercial jet crashes, whether cargo or passenger, as it could just as easily been on a passenger airline as a a cargo carrier. And, yes, I know no U.S. airline still flies A300s in passenger configuration, but a lot of foreign carriers do.

Originally Posted by Boraxo

Agree that NTSB should investigate all crashes and determine cause.

But media coverage is based on what attracts viewers so that they can sell advertisements. Cargo plane crash = not of interest to most viewers. Passengers plane crash with flames at major airport = huge audience. Has nothing to do with alleged xenophobic media bias.

Originally Posted by Always Flyin

No, just has to do with the intellectually dishonest media that claims to be acting for the people's "right to know", when they are actually really just trying to sell air time, magazine space, newspaper space, and internet sites for advertising dollars.

Originally Posted by Always Flyin

I don't necessarily disagree with you. That said, with Freedom of Information Act legislation on the federal and most state and local government levels, you can't deny the press access to such information.

Originally Posted by Bloomberg

Asiana Airlines Inc. (020560), the South Korean carrier whose pilot training is under scrutiny after a fatal crash in San Francisco, said it will expand instruction for air crew and begin an outside review of safety standards.
Pilots will get more hours in flight simulators to prepare for approaches to airports without landing guidance systems, Seoul-based Asiana said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. Asiana said it also will hire another company to evaluate its procedures, add safety specialists and boost maintenance.