If you were watching the WCAX news last night, you might have seen this story:
Some crewmen aboard the Maersk Alabama — now say ship captain — Richard Phillips — ignored repeated warnings about pirates. The cargo ship was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia in April. Phillips was held captive for five days. Crewmen say Phillips was told to keep his freighter at least 600 miles off the African coast. And there were at least seven warnings of pirate attacks. Phillips — who lives in Underhill — declined comment on the allegation.
Possibly a significant criticism of Phillips, but also possibly sour grapes by crew members who were pissed off first at being hijacked, and then not getting the publicity and possible movie deal that Phillips has gotten, right?
Contrast that with this morning's Free Press story from the AP:
This seems to shed a very different light on the story, since it provides documentation for what could have been merely grumbling by disgruntled crew members.
We're not shy about giving the Free Press a hard time when we think they get it wrong, but in this case their coverage seriously tops WCAX.Another reminder to be careful about what you see in the news.
…its not Free Press reporting, since its Curran from the AP.
Still, we give the AP an even harder time (note image to right).
there is small merit in “out-reporting” WCAX. Still, it’s right to give credit where credit is due.
WCAX jumped on that boy as a home town hero faster than you can say “ratings gain opportunity”. Would be a little face reddening to have to slam him for ignoring what would seem to present as a valid safety notification that came to be the reality for his crew. My first knee jerk is to guess sailing out of harms way would have cost more fuel and time, and you don’t get a company recognition for spending extra cash on the delivery route.
Would love to know if that was a play in the decision.
The new edition of AARP The Magazine counts Capt. Phillips among its “Ten Who Inspire,” along with Clint (“Dirty Harry”) Eastwood and eight others. Phillips’ quotes (have been and) will be taken as self-effacing modesty, but in light of this information they read as factual:
On the other hand, having “got caught,” he handled it pretty well and kept his crew safe:
It’s not his fault that the media lionized him, and who among us would resist a (rumored) six-figure advance to write a book? And, it should be noted, the Somali privateers attacked Phillips’ former ship again just last month. Clearly he’s not the only Maersk ship captain knowingly sailing through waters claimed by Somali ‘pirates.’
BTW, check out the Seven Days Ten Most Censored Stories of 2009 feature. One of the stories (#3) is “Somali pirates: The untold story,” and cites Al Jazeera English and the Huffington Post among its sources.
NanuqFC
There is nothing so desperately monotonous as the sea, and I no longer wonder at the cruelty of pirates ~ James Russell Lowell
It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested. ~ James Russell Lowell