Proud of our tragedy coverage

So for those who cry "accident", get real. There are such things as hard truths. People died in the worst way.

THE storm of Facebook protest over our coverage of the findings of the Carterton balloon tragedy is fascinating, because it is reportage I am proud to display prominently in our paper.

Firstly, it was reportage on what an enquiry and a team of professionals had concluded as to where the fault lay in this disaster. Let's be honest here, it was about as close to a cut-and-paste job as you get with newspaper reportage. What they said, we reported for the benefit of those who could not literally be at the commission's media conference, ie the readership.

Secondly, the Times-Age is not going to be afraid of reporting what the enquiry has made pretty obvious: The pilot was at fault because of his poor judgment, disdain for Civil Aviation rules and his probable use of cannabis impairing his judgment.

I can only assume the pro-marijuana brigade are behind many of the cries of "lies" at our reportage with regards to drug use. Frankly, it's pathetic. Journalists might well operate on the basis of impartiality when it comes to people's opinions, that ideology is better than truth, no facts are immutable, and every statement is as good as any other statement, but seriously, sometimes the truth needs to triumph over the knee-jerk opinions of idiots who think that marijuana use is harmless.

This is a time when the facts can speak for themselves and let's not be afraid to go down the path of the truth and reach some painful conclusions.

Those people died an unspeakably horrible, helpless death. Their terror would have been beyond all comprehension. They would have suffered terribly before they died. It is about on the level of those who jumped from the World Trade Centre towers in New York on September 11, 2001.

It is the pilot's fault. That's the conclusion of the commission and we'll report that in full. But we'll also report it because I believe the pilot deserves the condemnation of the families, the media, and the community. While the dead have no reputation (in law), he will be remembered for the disaster, and rightly so. His shortcomings may bring about positive change for the adventure industry.

So for those who cry "accident", get real. There are such things as hard truths. People died in the worst way. We know what the pilot did, and they lead us to the right conclusions, whether we like it or not.