The duty of the media is to report

The duty of the media is to report
Much of its bushfire coverage is opinion.

Uninformed opinions
from those whose knowledge of bushfire behaviour 
is no bigger than a lapel mike.

Assumptions are made about the casualties of bushfire: 

house losses, injuries, deaths. 

Assumptions that ‘nothing could have been done’ to prevent them.

Assumptions not made with other types of tragedy.  

Some reality checks are needed.

When there has been a drowning, the media asks, 

                                                   ‘Did they swim outside the flags?’

When there has been a road accident, the media asks, 

                                   ‘Were they speeding?’
                                  'Were they over 0.5?'

When there has been a house fire, the media asks, 

                                                 ‘Did they have a smoke alarm?’

We need to ask of bushfire’s sad events, as we do others: 

Was there negligence? 

                                                     Whose? 

Maybe the authorities. Maybe the victim’s own.

Misunderstandings, wrong actions, and ignorance

 have the same input to bushfire’s misfortunes 

as they do in any others.

When there has been a bushfire tragedy, 

               We need to ask,

           ‘How could this family have avoided its loss?’

‘What did some know that others did not?’

ESSENTIAL BUSHFIRE SAFETY TIPS

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THE COMPLETE BUSHFIRE SAFETY BOOK

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