In the coverage of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 by the media and the resident “experts”, I am appalled at the insinuations and character assassinations of the cockpit crew.
Even if it turns out that the crew were somehow culpable in the disappearance of the aircraft, it is horrifying that in order to remain relevant our media find it acceptable to make inferences that the captain was up to some nefarious deed because he had a flight simulator in his possession and that because he deleted some files from his computer he had some sinister plot in mind. Everyone with a computer deletes files at some time, it does not mean they are attempting to hide something. Many individuals in aviation have at some time installed some sort of flight simulator on their computers; the more passionate “nerds” often install more robust ones. I have personally owned several since 1982 and over the years have installed almost every version from Microsoft.
The other facet of this whole event that is disturbing is that normally smart, experienced and skillful individuals sit there patiently entertaining the ridiculous questions and statements made by the hosts of these media outlets without admonishing them for outrageous comments, conjectures and misstatements.
The other guilty parties in this entire debacle are the investigators who are releasing these tidbits of information. They are creating more emotional trauma for the families of the missing and the general flying public. They are also creating an atmosphere where the general public is skeptical of the abilities and processes of the investigative teams.
After all of the speculations and conspiracy theories the families of the missing passengers and the general public must find it difficult to separate facts from speculation.
I would suggest that all investigative procedures and techniques remain off-limits to the public and only the facts related to the case should be revealed. The greater good should not be subordinate to unrelenting “breaking news” headlines.