NTSB Chairman Takes Journalists To Task Over Less-Than Savvy Questions

November 18, 2009 7:43 a.m. EST

Washington, DC (AHN) - Some members of the media got flak from National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman for the way they cover the aviation and transportation accidents at a Luncheon on Nov. 16 at the National Press Club, Washington, DC.

Hersman was critical of the "reporters at the accident sites who don't routinely cover transportation," pointing to some of the less-than-savvy questions NTSB officials have received while on scene, including, "Who makes 747s besides Boeing?" "What kinds of planes make those white lines in the sky?" and "Who was steering the train?"

"We understand the need to solve the puzzle in the early hours of an accident, and we know your editors and producers want you to be the first to get the 'cause' of the accident, but what is the cost to your credibility if you are the first to get the cause wrong? We have learned from experience that first impressions can be wrong," she said.

She said she understands that in today's tough journalistic climate, "we don't have the luxury of having only transportation experts cover our work. These reporters are very good surrogates for the public who, although they rely on our transportation system every day, often have a limited understanding of how it operates and how safe it is."

The question, Hersman asked, is how do we provide important accident information responsibly?

"As you know, the NTSB has been investigating major transportation accidents for more than 42 years, and in that time we've held thousands of press briefings near the accident scenes," said Hersman,

"I appreciate this opportunity to meet with journalists outside the atmosphere of a major transportation accident ? I am often asked about how I feel about working with the press. I have to say, in the beginning, it was quite intimidating to stand in front of a bank of 20 microphones in a room full of cameras with reporters firing questions at me. "

She said that after accompanying NTSB teams to 17 major accidents in the last 5 years - ranging from the collision of two Washington Metro trains at Woodley Park Station in September, the mid-air collision involving a sightseeing helicopter and single engine plane over the Hudson River that killed 9 people in August -  she said she had the opportunity to see her staff and the press corps in action.

Hersman called the present times as "an interesting time for journalism," explaining that it is "not because tomorrow is the 275th anniversary of the arrest of John Peter Zenger for liable, a case that is still celebrated as a hallmark freedom of speech. And not because we can now get our local TV news in high definition, and not even because Rush Limbaugh wanted to buy an NFL franchise," adding, "No, these are interesting times in a proverbial sense because just as many American businesses are restructuring, so too are our nation's news media."

"Even in this changing environment, when you are being asked to re-invent yourselves on a regular basis, I hope you continue to achieve the professional satisfaction you sought when you became a reporter," Hersman noted.

Earlier Hersman, who joined NTSB in June 2004 and took over as its chairman in July 2009, was introduced to a select audience of journalists and others by Donna Leinwand, President of the National Press Club, as one who leads an independent federal agency, the NTSB, charged with finding out why planes crash and trains collide.

"She is a frequent presence on TV where she outlines the facts of crashes, explains technical details in laymen's terms and lays out the next steps in investigations," Leinwand added.