Editorial: It's about telling it like it is

In times of crisis such as the Rena oil spill, people take different views depending on their own perspective - whether it's the prospective tourist watching on television, the affected local business or the beachgoer seeing his strip of sand blackened.

Inevitably along the line, the media gets blamed for the "tainted images" that are broadcast and printed. I've been to a few business meetings lately - amongst people who are rightly worried about their livelihoods - and they talk about the negative reporting that's not helping their cause.

That's their perception. A person in Britain may suddenly think that all of the Bay is tarred. They perceive oil spill and trouble. It's not the media's fault that they don't look deeper and understand how the crisis has been managed and how fast the beaches have been cleaned up.

It's never been any different - just attack the media. The Rena crisis is a moving story - every day there's a change, a higher expectation or a new disappointment.

The Rena story is different to the Christchurch earthquakes and the Pike River mine disaster - we knew what happened immediately. Even after a fortnight we still don't know what will happen with the Rena and the 1260 tonnes of heavy fuel oil still onboard.

The media's job is to report the big story, whether it's good or bad news. And each day it's updating the moving story, informing its readers.

Like the big Tauranga floods in 2005, we at the Bay of Plenty Times do a good job with breaking news stories, marshalling the troops and covering as many angles as the resources will allow. Our readers have been well served in being told what's happening each day in the Rena battlefield.

I will admit that even I was surprised at the television, and even radio, onslaught or over-reaction at the beginning. They feed on soundbites. It seemed they, knowingly, wanted to cover the whole "catastrophe" in one go and interview every expert they could find.

It's probably those early images, when the oil rolled up on the beaches, that caught people's attention around the world. The Rena story moves on, and television and radio have calmed down.

There will be one of two results: There will be more oil on the beaches or it will be contained. This is how I want the story to unfold. Come hell or high water, the Rena remains stuck on Astrolabe Reef as one, the salvage team gets the oil off the vessel, and the miracle has occurred.

Suddenly we have a good news story. A major catastrophe has been averted. The brave salvors will appear before the television cameras, and they will talk about how dangerous the mission was.

They will be smiling, pleased and proud - because they know it was the most successful salvage in the world. And Western Bay is back to its pristine best - thanks to the thousands of volunteers cleaning up on the beach.

Now, that's the sort of images that people would like to see going overseas. Tauranga will be well and truly on the world map in terms of recognition. We can turn the story around, telling visitors: "Come and have a look, we are back in business, and you will enjoy the friendly hospitality."

And maybe the media isn't so bad after all. I just hope my scenario is right, for the sake of everyone living and doing business here.